ruminate

verb

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ru·mi·nate | \ ˈrü-mə-ˌnāt

ruminated; ruminating

Definition of ruminate

transitive verb

1 : to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly

2 : to chew repeatedly for an extended period

intransitive verb

1 : to chew again what has been chewed slightly and swallowed : chew the cud

2 : to engage in contemplation : reflect

Other Words from ruminate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about ruminate

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Other Words from ruminate

rumination \ ˌrü-mə-ˈnā-shən

\ noun

ruminative \ ˈrü-mə-ˌnā-tiv

\ adjective

ruminatively adverb

ruminator \ ˈrü-mə-ˌnā-tər

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for ruminate

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately. ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter. pondered the course of action meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply. meditated on the meaning of life muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance. mused upon childhood joys ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption. ruminated on past disappointments

Did You Know?

When you ruminate you chew something over, either literally or figuratively. Literal rumination may seem a little gross to humans, but to cows, chewing your cud (that's partially digested food brought up from the stomach for another chew) is just a natural part of life. Figurative ruminating is much more palatable to humans; that kind of deep, meditative thought is often deemed quite a worthy activity. The verb "ruminate" has described metaphorical chewing over since the 1500s and actual chewing since the early 1600s. Our English word derives from and shares the meanings of the Latin ruminari, which in turn derives from "rumen," the Latin name for the first stomach compartment of ruminant animals (that is, creatures like cows that chew their cud).

Examples of ruminate in a Sentence

The question got us ruminating on the real value of wealth. He ruminated over the implications of their decision.

Recent Examples on the Web Well, the Trump campaign should ruminate on that question. — Anthony Leonardi, Washington Examiner, "Tucker Carlson: Trump won't win by calling out Biden's 'mental decline'," 30 Sep. 2020 Garrett doesn’t ruminate over how the world views him in the aftermath of the incident. — cleveland, "How Myles Garrett pondered quitting football after Mason Rudolph, became a better man, and wants to clear the air with the QB," 9 Sep. 2020 Research shows that victims tend to ruminate over their interpersonal offenses and that such rumination decreases the motivation for forgiveness by increasing the drive to seek revenge. — Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific American, "Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood," 29 June 2020 Those scoring high on this dimension constantly ruminate and talk about their interpersonal offenses and their causes and consequences rather than think about or discuss possible solutions. — Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific American, "Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood," 29 June 2020 The very freedom to ruminate on other subjects is borne of the fact that Miss Fisher is not asking me to believe in her. — Sarah Manguso, The New York Review of Books, "My Quarantine: Cozy Mysteries," 31 May 2020 Their brains can become fixated, ruminating on worrying thoughts, without the prefrontal cortex regulating those intense feelings. — Sara Harrison, Wired, "Why Stress-Baking and Cleaning Make You Less Anxious," 27 Mar. 2020 There is a whole shelf of books that ruminates on the value of being home. — Paul Theroux, WSJ, "A Wanderer’s Guide to Staying Home, by Paul Theroux," 30 Mar. 2020 That day clearly stays with Mr. Trump, who has ruminated on it over the past week. — Peter Baker, New York Times, "An Abrupt Move That Stunned Aides: Inside Trump’s Aborted Attack on Iran," 21 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ruminate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.