mull

1 of 4

verb (1)

ˈməl 

mulled; mulling; mulls

transitive verb

1

: to grind or mix thoroughly : pulverize

… mull a portion of the pigment with the oil …

—H. J. Wolfe

2

: to consider at length : ponder

—often used with over

mulled over his choices

It's a fine offer, but we need time to mull it over.

intransitive verb

: meditate, ponder

All his talk of mulling and weighing and balancing was vacillation …

—J. P. Marquand

mull

2 of 4

verb (2)

mulled; mulling; mulls

transitive verb

: to heat, sweeten, and flavor (a beverage, such as wine or cider) with spices

mull

3 of 4

noun (1)

: a soft fine sheer fabric of cotton, silk, or rayon

mull

4 of 4

noun (2)

1

: friable forest humus that forms a layer of mixed organic matter and mineral soil and merges gradually into the mineral soil beneath

2

: a finely powdered solid especially in a suspension

Synonyms of mull

Verb (1)

• grind
• pound
• crush
• beat
• disintegrate
• powder
• mill

Examples of mull in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the dentist was in the habit of mulling the mercury amalgam in the palm of his hand

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After declining to run for governor, Harris is believed to be mulling another run for president. —Lia Russell march 26, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2026

Bloomberg, meanwhile, reported that HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery is mulling job cuts that could affect middle and back offices, affecting as much as 20,000 roles, because of AI’s impact on financial services. —John Kell, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026

Australia became the first country to ban social media for under-16-year-olds in December, and other countries began mulling something similar. —Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026

What followed was an hour of mulling about the lot before we were moved to an empty windowless room divided by a chain-link fence. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from mul, mol dust, probably from Middle Dutch; akin to Old English melu meal — more at meal

Verb (2)

origin unknown

Noun (1)

by shortening & alteration from mulmul muslin, from Hindi malmal

Noun (2)

Danish muld, from Old Norse mold dust, soil; akin to Old High German molta dust, soil — more at mold entry 5

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1618, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1778, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mull

• cull
• dull
• gul
• gull
• lull
• ndebele
• null
• scull
• skull
• stull
• trull
• tulle

Kids Definition

mull

1 of 2 verb

ˈməl 

: to think about slowly and carefully : ponder

mull over an idea

mull

2 of 2 verb

: to sweeten, spice, and heat

mulled wine

Etymology

Verb

Middle English mullen "to grind up or mix thoroughly," from mul, mol "dust"

Verb

origin unknown

Medical Definition

mull

1 of 2 transitive verb

ˈməl 

: to grind or mix thoroughly (as in a mortar) : pulverize

the alloy, after removal from the amalgamator, was mulled in the palm of the hand

—Journal of American Dental Association

mull

2 of 2 noun

1

: a soft fine sheer fabric of cotton, silk, or rayon

2

: an ointment of high melting point intended to be spread on muslin or mull and used like a plaster

zinc mull

Geographical Definition

Mull

geographical name

ˈməl 

island of western Scotland in the Inner Hebrides area 351 square miles (913 square kilometers), population 1499