1
as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
she contemplated the problem for several hours before reaching a decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in planning
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
he waited patiently, contemplating revenge all the while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contemplating
That puts state attorneys general contemplating a lawsuit on the clock.
—
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
With geopolitical tensions elevated, a high oil price and long-term interest rate projections uncertain now, many may be understandably contemplating a savings strategy shift.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 9 June 2026
To anyone contemplating leaving the city because of political biases, good night and good luck.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 June 2026
An independent commission had spent the previous year contemplating the dismal state of American democracy.
—Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
For those advocates, recent years have provided a rare chance to study life in the emerging canyonlands and to make their case to basin leaders who are contemplating the long-term future of Colorado River management.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Mattingly joined the Phillies as their new bench coach this season after leaving the Toronto Blue Jays and contemplating retirement.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
The state argues those conversations illustrate a broader failure by OpenAI to prevent its technology from providing dangerous assistance to users contemplating violence.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 1 June 2026
Introduced by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Culver City, the bill authorizes exemptions from state sales tax limits in Contra Costa and Los Angeles Counties—just as voters in both counties are contemplating increases to their local sales taxes.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 10 June 2026
With geopolitical tensions elevated, a high oil price and long-term interest rate projections uncertain now, many may be understandably contemplating a savings strategy shift.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 9 June 2026
To anyone contemplating leaving the city because of political biases, good night and good luck.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 June 2026
An independent commission had spent the previous year contemplating the dismal state of American democracy.
—Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
For those advocates, recent years have provided a rare chance to study life in the emerging canyonlands and to make their case to basin leaders who are contemplating the long-term future of Colorado River management.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Mattingly joined the Phillies as their new bench coach this season after leaving the Toronto Blue Jays and contemplating retirement.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
The state argues those conversations illustrate a broader failure by OpenAI to prevent its technology from providing dangerous assistance to users contemplating violence.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 1 June 2026
Introduced by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Culver City, the bill authorizes exemptions from state sales tax limits in Contra Costa and Los Angeles Counties—just as voters in both counties are contemplating increases to their local sales taxes.
—Sal Rodriguez, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemplating
Verb
-
It’s all added up to a potential worst-case scenario for Republicans pondering the midterms.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
-
Recently, that other long-running music magazine published a list of the 100 Greatest Punk Albums and their picks left me pondering the exact boundaries of punk (which, admittedly, is not a very punk thing to do).—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Real estate developers are already cautiously planning to take advantage of the eased regulations and plan to announce new projects after the law goes into effect.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
What to know about Artemis Under NASA's Artemis campaign, the space agency is planning to put astronauts on the surface of the moon for the first time since the Apollo era ended in 1972.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Well, Texas Tech's most prominent booster, Cody Campbell, has some very pointed comments for those schools, conferences, or institutions considering taking action against the program.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Messengers could also be faced with considering a constitutional amendment proposed by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler that would ban women from serving in primary church leadership roles within the denomination.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Since that goal was outlined more than two years ago and the company has continued flying its experienced boosters safely across dozens of missions, SpaceX may be intending to push past 40 missions.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
-
That afternoon, the teenagers were headed downtown, intending to steal quarters from arcade machines.—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The world is still debating whether this is a short-term disruption while farmers are already being forced to make decisions today that will have consequences next year.—
John W.H. Denton AO,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
Regulators are debating whether the new data centers will strain the Texas power grid and affect electricity costs.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Mike and Samantha Tiburtini didn’t start looking until about a month after their son Ellis was born in May 2022.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
-
Timothy Hawkins said the command was aware of reports and looking into the situation.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Other teams of astronomers have looked for clues about the movements of giant planets in the orbits of asteroids and other small objects, studying them like footprints to reconstruct how they might have been pushed or pulled into their current orbits by the gravity of giant planets on the move.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
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By studying past hurricanes, AI models can identify similarities with current storms and help forecasters detect important changes earlier.—
Katie Garch,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Under prosecutors’ questioning, the witness agreed that his previous belief that Anthony was surrounded when the stabbing happened was incorrect.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
8 June 2026
-
After questioning witnesses, detectives determined Williams had gotten into a domestic dispute with another person who was with Taylor, and Williams pulled out a semiautomatic rifle and fired multiple shots, shooting Taylor in the back.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemplating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemplating. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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