as in to contemplate
to give serious and careful thought to
by the time he finishes cogitating what to do with his life, it'll be almost over
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Recent Examples of cogitate
After a wild but winning January, stock market bulls have little to complain about but plenty to cogitate over.
—
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2026
Instead of accelerating the singular, the company’s leadership is doing like Isaacson and cogitating in logic.
—Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
What made those songs work, and these, is the sound of Byrne’s mind cogitating inside them.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
This represents the leap from machines that can mimic human outputs to systems that genuinely cogitate—plotting, analyzing, and problem-solving with remarkable acuity.
—Arafat Kabir, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Yet the evidence for cogitating pond scum grows daily.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
With the eruptions and disruptions of digital mass culture as its Ferrari-level engine, often represented by the roaring drama of sport, Pfeiffer’s art cogitates on power as an ongoing campaign waged between the individual and the crowd.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
While Wall Street and Private Equity leaders have the time to leisurely cogitate the long view, business leaders (CEO’s, CMO’s, etc) have to make commitments today with real dollars based on their best guesses about the state of the consumer next fall and spring.
—Greg Petro, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
As his characters cogitate and self-medicate, scheme and philosophize, his subject is less the content of their thoughts than the mind contemplating itself.
—Washington Post, 11 June 2021
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2026
Instead of accelerating the singular, the company’s leadership is doing like Isaacson and cogitating in logic.
—Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
What made those songs work, and these, is the sound of Byrne’s mind cogitating inside them.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
This represents the leap from machines that can mimic human outputs to systems that genuinely cogitate—plotting, analyzing, and problem-solving with remarkable acuity.
—Arafat Kabir, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Yet the evidence for cogitating pond scum grows daily.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
With the eruptions and disruptions of digital mass culture as its Ferrari-level engine, often represented by the roaring drama of sport, Pfeiffer’s art cogitates on power as an ongoing campaign waged between the individual and the crowd.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
While Wall Street and Private Equity leaders have the time to leisurely cogitate the long view, business leaders (CEO’s, CMO’s, etc) have to make commitments today with real dollars based on their best guesses about the state of the consumer next fall and spring.
—Greg Petro, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
As his characters cogitate and self-medicate, scheme and philosophize, his subject is less the content of their thoughts than the mind contemplating itself.
—Washington Post, 11 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cogitate
Verb
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Nvidia's $30 billion investment in OpenAI is different from what was contemplated in September, but the company could still decide to invest in subsequent rounds that align with that framework, the person said.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
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In the play, which begins as historic epic and becomes, for Goethe, increasing personal and interior, Egmont gains perspective on the complexities of his place in politics by contemplating nature and being.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
All these are questions not unlike the one faced by the late Jerry Buss in 1981 when pondering the notion of hiring a kid who never had coached at any level.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
During the show’s 2023 Broadway run, SRO audiences were encouraged to dance in place and ponder despots at the same time — a greater disassotiative challenge than walking and chewing gum at the same time, but hardly an insurmountable one.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As batches of dumplings were boiled in pots of water, her friend and co-organizer Xinyi Shen entertained with a presentation about the Lunar New Year in China.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
26 Feb. 2026
-
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 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All the more impressive considering Stockton, who was about 175 pounds when started high school, didn’t even make varsity as a freshman.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The council will also consider longterm funding plans for the undergrounding project during its first meeting in March.—
Luke Harold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Treasury yields drifted higher but the move was contained as investors debated the merits of growth versus inflation.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
21 Feb. 2026
-
High-stakes debate on whether to renovate or relocate shifts to new phase for mayor and council members.—
Everton Bailey Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The producers—and hair and costume designers—also spent hours studying Carolyn's look for the park fight scene, Simpson says.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Late last year, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists were told to end research on macaque monkeys, who’d been primarily used to study HIV prevention.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Uludag denied the accusations during questioning, insisting that his posts were legitimate criticism made in his capacity as a judiciary reporter, according to court documents published by Cumhuriyet newspaper.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
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Some researchers question whether addiction is the appropriate term to describe heavy use of social media, arguing that a person must be experiencing identifiable symptoms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cogitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cogitate. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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