meditate

verb

med·​i·​tate ˈme-də-ˌtāt 

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.

meditator

ˈme-də-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of meditate

• contemplate
• ponder
• entertain
• consider
• study
• debate

Choose the Right Synonym for 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.

pondered the course of action

meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Examples of meditate in a Sentence

He meditates for an hour every morning.

I've been meditating a career change for months.

Recent Examples on the Web

The park, open from sunrise to sunset, offers a sweet reprieve from the sun and is a great spot to take a deep breath and meditate in the woods. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

And one is this other mode of meditating on thoughts and not trying to understand it. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026

History and imagination mix as Hanks, playing Abraham Lincoln, mourns for his dead son, while the spirits of the dead, voiced by an A-list cast, meditate on grief and empathy. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Their teachers would suggest that all negative experiences are inherently growth opportunities, or that perhaps the person was meditating incorrectly. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing meditate

• meditate on/upon

Rhymes for meditate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

meditate

verb

med·​i·​tate ˈmed-ə-ˌtāt 

meditated; meditating

1

a

: to consider or think over carefully : contemplate

b

: to spend time in quiet thinking : reflect

2

: intend, plan

meditate a trip abroad