as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
mull over the idea for a while and then let me know
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mulling (over)
Verb
-
Brooks started thinking about happiness about 20 years ago, after a couple of hard career pivots left him pondering what came next.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026 -
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
Verb
-
For the unbeaten 24-year-old mixed martial artist, promoted by Combate Global, contemplating the alternative can be traumatic.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
The crowd was slow to fill out FedEx Forum on Wednesday evening, an unsurprising development considering the two players whose jersey dotted the stands – Steph Curry and Ja Morant – were both inactive.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
At the time, Carvalho was an associate superintendent, and the emails were leaked as the district was considering him for the top job.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Republicans are debating how and whether to pass more major legislation.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
25 Feb. 2026
-
According to the news release, this involved debating search-and-seizure questions, determining if proper authorization was given for a detective to search a suspect’s computer and presenting the evidence persuasively under real courtroom norms.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
From the custom zippo lighters and iconic table lamps to our classic Avocado Louie, Chicken Pot Pie, truffle lasagna, and caviar macarons—the excitement to evolve those details year after year, while having fun entertaining 1,500 celebratory guests, was incredible.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
3 Mar. 2026
-
One-on-one with Christina Applegate Actress Christina Applegate is reintroducing herself to the world after five decades of entertaining audiences.—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Linguist Carolina Aragon is the only outsider able to communicate with the three women after years studying and documenting their language.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The closed-door depositions showed how Republican lawmakers at times seemed not able to resist the spectacle of questioning a couple who for decades led the Democratic Party.—
Stephen Groves,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Neighbors in Baltimore County are questioning the use of deadly force after a man, allegedly experiencing a mental health crisis, was found dead following police gunfire at his home Wednesday.—
Tara Lynch,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Cities across North Texas are taking different directions on their future with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, with some backing away to leave the transit system, one still weighing its options and others moving forward with elections that could reshape regional transportation.—
Perry Majidi,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Lawmakers are weighing whether Connecticut should require signage warning of the dangers of energy drinks for children and teens.—
Mikayla Bunnell,
Hartford Courant,
26 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Mulling (over).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mulling%20%28over%29. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
