as in grinding
to reduce to fine particles
the dentist was in the habit of mulling the mercury amalgam in the palm of his hand
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Recent Examples of mulling
Much of the world has moved to synthetic alternatives — for environmental and ethical reasons — and the EU is mulling a measure to shut down fur farms and much of the fur trade.
—
ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
The mood today was more tenuous, the industry crowd mulling in the lobby with cocktails, discussing the tail end of awards season and the controversy coming out of the Berlin Film Festival concerning politically cautious juror statements.
—Film Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The state’s lieutenant governor and former House speaker are also in the race, with Casey DeSantis, Florida’s current First Lady, also reportedly mulling a run.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Lake, who was rumored to be mulling a run for Congress in Arizona, eventually shared her pitch with a low-level aide who conveyed no enthusiasm for a third Lake candidacy, the same person said.
—The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Laguna Beach city leaders are mulling a proposal that would ban large pop-up shade structures on the sand to protect the safety of beachgoers.
—Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
And ahead of the Monday announcement of the deal involving SpaceX and xAI, there were reports that SpaceX was mulling a merger with Tesla.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
OpenAI is also reportedly mulling an IPO in 2026.
—John Kell, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
The senior guard, however, is still mulling over her options.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
The mood today was more tenuous, the industry crowd mulling in the lobby with cocktails, discussing the tail end of awards season and the controversy coming out of the Berlin Film Festival concerning politically cautious juror statements.
—Film Editor, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The state’s lieutenant governor and former House speaker are also in the race, with Casey DeSantis, Florida’s current First Lady, also reportedly mulling a run.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Lake, who was rumored to be mulling a run for Congress in Arizona, eventually shared her pitch with a low-level aide who conveyed no enthusiasm for a third Lake candidacy, the same person said.
—The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Laguna Beach city leaders are mulling a proposal that would ban large pop-up shade structures on the sand to protect the safety of beachgoers.
—Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
And ahead of the Monday announcement of the deal involving SpaceX and xAI, there were reports that SpaceX was mulling a merger with Tesla.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
OpenAI is also reportedly mulling an IPO in 2026.
—John Kell, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
The senior guard, however, is still mulling over her options.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mulling
Verb
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Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian land, but over almost four years of grinding war, those territorial gains are thought to have cost Russia over a million casualties.—
Holly Williams,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
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This week, the optimism of spring has given way to the grinding reality of the sport, all before teams conducted their first workouts.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On the northern end of California’s Central Coast, the region’s rolling hills and sunny beaches give way to misty bays and cypress groves, pounding turquoise surf and steep, plunging cliffs.—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Feb. 2026
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The cast of the heart-pounding story also features Stephen Tobolowsky, Frances Bay, and Peter Friedman.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Safeguarding athletes But what about junior- and novice-level skaters, including those not even teenagers yet, who may get to revel in the soaring highs of hearing a good score but must also suffer through the soul-crushing lows of hearing a poor one?—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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It was led by Yoshiko Noda, a staid veteran politician, who briefly served as an undistinguished prime minister in 2012 and led his party to a crushing defeat at the hands of Shinzo Abe and the LDP.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Scottie Barnes won the opening 12-minute game for the Stars with a game-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
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Shooting and beating American citizens in the streets, demolishing history, covering up obvious crimes, threatening our allies, targeting political adversaries and using the office for personal enrichment are just a few things that have occurred and gone unchecked by powers that control Congress.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mulling. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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