premeditation

noun

pre·​med·​i·​ta·​tion (ˌ)prē-ˌme-də-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or instance of premeditating

specifically : consideration or planning of an act beforehand that shows intent to commit that act

Examples of premeditation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Portrayed throughout the season as an unholy fool of sorts, free of malice and premeditation and utterly harmless once properly medicated, Ed redeems himself to a certain extent. —Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025

Prosecutors alleged several special circumstances in the case, including premeditation, commission of multiple murders, murder with a firearm and murder to prevent testimony. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025

Reinhardt also challenged the prosecution's presentation of premeditation. —Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced Tuesday that his office will seek the death penalty, citing the severity of the crime and evidence pointing to premeditation. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for premeditation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Legal Definition

premeditation

noun

pre·​med·​i·​ta·​tion pri-ˌme-də-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or instance of premeditating

specifically : consideration or planning of an act beforehand

designed so that it requires premeditation to tamper with it

murder in the first degree is the killing of a human being committed…intentionally and with premeditation

—Kansas Statutes Annotated

see also cold blood, murder compare intent

Note: The terms premeditation, malice aforethought, deliberate, and willful are often used in statutes either along with or instead of intent to describe the necessary mental state for a crime. In some jurisdictions the premeditation has to occur only moments before the act, while in others it must precede the act by an appreciable amount of time.