as in to ponder
to give serious and careful thought to
the minister hoped that the congregation would spend the remainder of the week ruminating the message of his sermon
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Recent Examples of ruminate
The shooter appears to have been ruminating on the event since at least 2016, according to prosecutors at the time.
—
Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
If your friend or family member is struggling to keep up with daily responsibilities, constantly ruminating about relationship issues, or expressing a sense of hopelessness, consider bringing it up, says Francesca Emma, a therapist in New York.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
The film ruminates on guilt, familial strife, and trauma with Ball’s signature bittersweet touch, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Instead of ruminating in your head, Burns suggests writing things down so your mind can unwind.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruminate
Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
If your friend or family member is struggling to keep up with daily responsibilities, constantly ruminating about relationship issues, or expressing a sense of hopelessness, consider bringing it up, says Francesca Emma, a therapist in New York.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
The film ruminates on guilt, familial strife, and trauma with Ball’s signature bittersweet touch, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Feb. 2026
Instead of ruminating in your head, Burns suggests writing things down so your mind can unwind.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminate
Verb
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Who ever ponders the conveniences of that 20th-century innovation, the airplane, that makes 21st-century hustle possible?—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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But news is expected soon on the Hall of Fame KU coach, who is pondering his future after having heart problems the past few years.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The idea that consumer taxes would be one of them is hard to contemplate.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
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The slow burn of Santos getting repeatedly plowed over with stress and emotion has led her to contemplate self-harm again.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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View Outside’s longstanding literary storytelling tradition comes to life in audio with features that will both entertain and inform listeners.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
25 Mar. 2026
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Fans are entitled to want to be entertained, and to be frustrated that the European campaign has been a struggle, as well as by the problems Palace have endured when confronted by 10 men on several occasions of late.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The name-changing process Burbank Unified set up committees to debate the topic, first to decide whether there should be a name change, and then what the new name should be.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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Instead of debating calls for hours, fans get a clear answer almost instantly.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a 2015 email, when Mead Johnson was considering supplying some of its formula to a researcher for a study, a company neonatologist expressed concern that the results could be spun to make the preemie product look unsafe.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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At twenty-five cents a pack, they were considered a medium-status brand, still a splurge for most people in China.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Several other states are in the process of setting up similar programs, often sending therapists and academics to Orlando to study UCF Restores’ process.—
Krys Fluker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
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Dana Calacci, who studies the social impact of AI at Pennsylvania State University and wasn’t involved in the new research, has found that sycophancy tends to get worse the longer users interact with the model.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminate. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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