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

The key element that differentiates a conviction on first-degree versus second-degree murder is whether there’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the murder was deliberately premeditated. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025

Prosecutors now allege the crime was premeditated and intentional. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 12 Dec. 2025

It was premeditated in the sense that if the show got on the air and did well, the records would hopefully do well, too. —Gary Graff, Billboard, 10 Dec. 2025

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