meditate

verb med·i·tate \ ˈme-də-ˌtāt \

Definition of meditate

meditated; meditating

intransitive verb

1 :to engage in contemplation or reflection

He meditated long and hard before announcing his decision.

2 :to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

transitive verb

1 :to focus one's thoughts on :reflect on or ponder over

He was meditating his past achievements.

2 :to plan or project in the mind :intend, purpose

He was meditating revenge.

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meditator

play \-ˌtā-tər\ noun

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Examples of meditate in a Sentence

He meditates for an hour every morning.
I've been meditating a career change for months.

Recent Examples of meditate from the Web

The goats themselves don’t contort and meditate, but roam freely between humans.

— danielle ohl, baltimoresun.com, "Goat yoga gains popularity in Bel Air," 25 Aug. 2017
My New Year’s resolution is to learn how to meditate.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "The 23 Most Ridiculous Moments in Goop History, Ranked," 24 Aug. 2017
Participants will learn tribal dancing, do a bit of yoga, sit by a fire and meditate.

— plain dealer guest writer, cleveland.com, "Ohio retreat centers offer a break from busy, close to home (photos)," 19 July 2017
Attendees will come in their pajamas while listening to yoga stories, meditating, and having a bedtime snack.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "College Prep. Program Coming July 27," 19 July 2017
Those who use other ways to recharge (exercise, meditating, hobbies, nature interaction, etc.)

— philip chard, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mindful meals offer a healthy alternative to emotional eating," 16 July 2017
In the mornings, both Jay and Alison try to find time to meditate.

— emily eisen, Bon Appetit, "How the Wonder Valley Olive Oil Duo Does Breakfast," 7 July 2017
Released barely two weeks after welcoming twins with Bey, Jay spends 4:44 meditating on his fame, wealth and experience as a black man in America.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "'4:44' is JAY-Z's explosive response to Beyonce's 'Lemonade'," 30 June 2017
SOME FOLKS achieve a Zen state by meditating; others run.

— jesse will, WSJ, "Car-Lovers Buff Their Way to Bliss—and You Can, Too," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meditate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of meditate

Latin meditatus, past participle of meditari, frequentative of medēri to remedy — more at medical

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1560

See Words from the same year

meditate Synonyms

Synonyms

chew over, cogitate, consider, contemplate, debate, deliberate, entertain, eye, kick around, ponder, mull (over), perpend, pore (over), question, revolve, ruminate, study, think (about or over), turn, weigh, wrestle (with)

Related Words

muse (upon), reflect (on or upon), reminisce; analyze, explore, review; conclude, reason; second-guess, speculate (about); brood (about or over), dwell (on or upon), fixate (on or upon), fret (about or over), obsess (about or over); believe, conceive, opine; absorb, assimilate, digest, drink (in)

Near Antonyms

disregard, ignore, overlook, slight; dismiss, pooh-pooh (also pooh), reject

Synonym Discussion of meditate

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately. ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.