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
Japan has recently taken steps to expand its defense posture, including lifting its ban on lethal arms exports and mulling changes to Article 9 of its constitution, which renounces war and the maintenance of armed forces.
—
Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 May 2026
Richer economies like those in Europe are mulling building fertilizer stockpiles, reducing duties on imports, and onshoring production, but poorer ones have limited room to adapt.
—semafor.com, 29 May 2026
Disappointed by the abrupt end at WGN, Lewis had nonetheless been mulling a new career path for the better part of a year amid broader industry contractions.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
New York lawmakers are mulling a three-year moratorium on permits for new high-energy data centers, essentially telling residents that data centers are the problem.
—Iulia Lupse, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2026
Thus Director Park will likely be mulling over the sprawling monster sci-fi Hope, by his countryman Na Hong-Jin, and possibly Léa Mysius’s thriller-romp The Birthday Party, which contains a lot of Park’s trademark black humor.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 23 May 2026
Imagine if all those undecided students who are mulling over taking computer science were to suddenly gravitate to the philosophy realm.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Now, how to get the Chalamets of the world to give it a second chance is a whole other question the Glyndebourne festival is mulling over.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026
Israel's place in the contest has become contentious as outrage over the carnage in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran has grown from Rome to Madrid with massive popular protests and European Union politicians mulling new sanctions.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 May 2026
Richer economies like those in Europe are mulling building fertilizer stockpiles, reducing duties on imports, and onshoring production, but poorer ones have limited room to adapt.
—semafor.com, 29 May 2026
Disappointed by the abrupt end at WGN, Lewis had nonetheless been mulling a new career path for the better part of a year amid broader industry contractions.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
New York lawmakers are mulling a three-year moratorium on permits for new high-energy data centers, essentially telling residents that data centers are the problem.
—Iulia Lupse, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2026
Thus Director Park will likely be mulling over the sprawling monster sci-fi Hope, by his countryman Na Hong-Jin, and possibly Léa Mysius’s thriller-romp The Birthday Party, which contains a lot of Park’s trademark black humor.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 23 May 2026
Imagine if all those undecided students who are mulling over taking computer science were to suddenly gravitate to the philosophy realm.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Now, how to get the Chalamets of the world to give it a second chance is a whole other question the Glyndebourne festival is mulling over.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026
Israel's place in the contest has become contentious as outrage over the carnage in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran has grown from Rome to Madrid with massive popular protests and European Union politicians mulling new sanctions.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mulling
Verb
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If the story of the past two years was one of slow, grinding forward progress for Russia,the story of this year is very different.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Nine crucial years of expansion and solidification of the pernicious institution went by, speeding the nation’s road toward a grinding war.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
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When the worker said yes, there followed a cacophony of voices, radios, and pounding boots as police stormed the property.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
One of my favorite side dishes starts by rehydrating them, then pounding them in a mortar and pestle to release all that concentrated flavor.—
Julie Lin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 June 2026
Verb
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That legacy includes crushing both hyperinflation and the Maoist insurgents of the Shining Path, who bathed Peru in blood in the 1980s and 1990s.—
Simeon Tegel,
NPR,
6 June 2026
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Less than two minutes later, Messi lost the ball near the halfway line and a France move ended with a sumptuous, crushing Mbappe volley hitting the back of the net.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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As shoppers gear up for their European summer sojourns, brands are beating the tourist rush and setting up shop across the continent with temporary seasonal stores, beach club pop-ups and limited-time activations to capture the attention and dollars of the high-spending set.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
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Fujimori, daughter of a disgraced former president, and Sánchez, an ally of an imprisoned ex-president, were on the runoff’s ballot after beating 33 other candidates in the vote in April, but neither earned even 20% of support.—
Franklin Briceño,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mulling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mulling. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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