muse 1 of 2

noun

Definition of musenext
as in poet
a person who writes poetry where is the muse who will sing of this man's great and noble deeds?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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muse

2 of 2

verb

as in to ruminate

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word muse different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of muse are meditate, ponder, and ruminate. While all these words mean "to consider or examine attentively or deliberately," muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

When is it sensible to use meditate instead of muse?

While in some cases nearly identical to muse, meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

When might ponder be a better fit than muse?

The meanings of ponder and muse largely overlap; however, ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

Where would ruminate be a reasonable alternative to muse?

While the synonyms ruminate and muse are close in meaning, ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of muse
Noun
At least his head did, while inside it, the haunting of the muses was in full force as the rock star was forced to reckon with his many, um, complicated life choices. — Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026 Sing, muse, of the cunning Christopher Nolan, who has once again achieved the impossible. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 19 July 2026
Verb
In the case of this post from Thursday, one user invoked Greek philosopher Heraclitus and a 12th-century Arab poet to muse on the nature of existence. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026 Dale gets a moment near the end of the episode to muse darkly about the dangers of this line of work, but the most impactful reaction comes from Boss during the drive to the hospital. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 30 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muse
  1. poet
  2. ruminate
  3. minstrel
  4. ponder
  5. meditate
  6. contemplate
  7. reflect
  8. project
Noun
  • Katherine Anne Porter City Lights, a bookstore and publishing house founded by the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953, is closely associated with the Beat Generation of writers.
    — J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • There’s a long Greek tradition of setting modern Greek poetry to song, and the words my father sang came from the poet Manolis Anagnostakis.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of poet
Verb
  • These self stories can lock people in place and lead them to ruminate on their own disempowerment.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 20 July 2026
  • When asked who should take on the role next, Urie takes his time to ruminate — and then opens the floodgates.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 20 July 2026
Definition of ruminate
Noun
  • The musician-scholar Rhiannon Giddens, a leading interpreter of 19th-century American songs, told me that discussing Foster’s context is difficult because minstrel entertainment is so little understood today.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
  • They were published in the North and South, performed in racist minstrel shows and polite parlors, and sung by abolitionists and defenders of enslavement alike.
    — Christopher Lynch, The Conversation, 1 July 2026
Definition of minstrel
Verb
  • Whether Wesneski’s return will be enough to bolster one of baseball’s worst rotations is a question general manager Dana Brown must ponder across the next two weeks.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 25 July 2026
  • First, ponder crowded housing, a signal of affordability stress, as the share of families living with other families.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 23 July 2026
Definition of ponder
Verb
  • Drewchin might once have used her songs to meditate on meaning, to stare at the sky for answers, but Heavenly Body is a document of a time when those existential concerns took a backseat to the urgency of the physical changes in her life.
    — Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
  • So many of the characters themselves are in a state of reflection, meditating on the wide swaths of time that are behind them.
    — Sky Davis, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026
Definition of meditate
Verb
  • James did indeed contemplate retirement after the Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 25 July 2026
  • Because of these problems, the Federal Reserve is contemplating leaving the check processing business.
    — Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
Definition of contemplate
Verb
  • That configuration reflects the J-20’s emphasis on engaging enemy aircraft at long distances, particularly high-value targets such as tankers, surveillance aircraft, and airborne early-warning platforms.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026
  • The issues persisted through Sunday’s race, and his podium finish wouldn’t reflect Verstappen’s frustration – evidenced in his regular radio messages.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of reflect
Verb
  • Despite this, the LNG revolution is projected to boom through 2050, with demand potentially rising 65% to 700 million tpy, driven by Asian economic growth.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • His Detroit Tigers were projected to be among the best teams in the American League.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of project

Browse Nearby Words

muscularly
muse
mused
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Cite this Entry

“Muse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muse. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on muse

Nglish: Translation of muse for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about muse

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