premeditate

verb

pre·​med·​i·​tate (ˌ)prē-ˈme-də-ˌtāt 

premeditated; premeditating; premeditates

transitive verb

: to think about and revolve in the mind beforehand

… must premeditate the killing and deliberate about it …

—Wayne R. LaFave and Austin W. Scott, Jr.

intransitive verb

: to think, consider, or deliberate beforehand

premeditator

(ˌ)prē-ˈme-də-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Examples of premeditate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But Roman said a murder can be considered premeditated even if the decision came just minutes before. —Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

And then there may be actual fraud — unlawful acts whether premeditated or impulsive. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025

In the prosecution’s closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Roopa Krishna said the attack was premeditated and the defendant had a motive. —Cameron MacDonald, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025

This evolution seems to have been premeditated. —Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin praemeditatus, past participle of praemeditari, from prae- + meditari to meditate

First Known Use

circa 1526, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for premeditate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

premeditate

verb

pre·​med·​i·​tate pri-ˈmed-ə-ˌtāt 

ˈprē-

: to think about and plan beforehand

premeditated murder

premeditation

pri-ˌmed-ə-ˈtā-shən, 

ˌprē-

noun

Legal Definition

premeditate

verb

pre·​med·​i·​tate pri-ˈme-də-ˌtāt 

premeditated; premeditating

transitive verb

: to think about or consider beforehand

must premeditate the killing and deliberate about it

—W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.

intransitive verb

: to think or consider beforehand