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

That is, can an otherwise healthy person become a person who kills, not in self-defense or in the heat of battle, but with cool premeditation? —Rich Cohen, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2025

His actions, prosecutors allege, put others at serious risk and were carried out with substantial premeditation. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Police found crucial evidence, including Ana’s documents hidden behind the water tank in Molina’s bathroom and a sealed bottle of chloroform—further proving premeditation. —Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 1 May 2025

Prosecutors learned Boyle had rented a jackhammer two days before his wife disappeared and cited it as evidence of premeditation. —Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 27 Apr. 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.