deliberation
noun
de·lib·er·a·tion
di-ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən 
1
a
: the act of thinking about or discussing something and deciding carefully : the act of deliberating
After careful deliberation, he decided to study medicine rather than law.
b
: a discussion and consideration by a group of persons (such as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for and against a measure
The jury returned a verdict after a four-hour deliberation.
2
: the quality or state of being deliberate
spoke with clarity and deliberation
worked with deliberation on the painting
Examples of deliberation in a Sentence
After hours of deliberation, the council came to a decision.
Jury deliberations lasted two days.
She spoke to the audience with clarity and deliberation.
Recent Examples on the Web
As such, the results of this list should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations.
—
Time Staff, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
All things considered, the economic policymaking of Trump’s team looks less like rational deliberation and more like firefighting while knowing that the fire chief is the primary arsonist.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration has been considering a budget proposal that would cut the State Department’s budget by roughly half, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations and documents reviewed by ABC News.
—Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2025
The mayor’s spending plan heads to the City Council’s budget committee for several weeks of deliberations.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deliberation
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Time Staff, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
All things considered, the economic policymaking of Trump’s team looks less like rational deliberation and more like firefighting while knowing that the fire chief is the primary arsonist.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration has been considering a budget proposal that would cut the State Department’s budget by roughly half, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations and documents reviewed by ABC News.
—Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2025
The mayor’s spending plan heads to the City Council’s budget committee for several weeks of deliberations.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deliberation
Cite this Entry
“Deliberation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deliberation. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deliberation
noun
de·lib·er·a·tion
di-ˌlib-ə-ˈrā-shən
1
: the act of deliberating
2
: a discussion and consideration of the reasons for and against something
3
: the quality of being deliberate : deliberateness
Legal Definition
deliberation
noun
de·lib·er·a·tion
di-ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən
1
a
: the act of deliberating compare premeditation
b
: a discussion and consideration by a group of persons (as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for or against a measure
2
: the quality or state of being deliberate
killing with deliberation
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