as in contemplated
to give serious and careful thought to
I'm pondering whether or not I should join another committee
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Recent Examples of pondered
Board member Michael Milani pondered failed efforts to attract corporate headquarters and office spaces to the I-80 corridor, saying the village likely needed to establish a new identity for the area amid the post-COVID-19 surge in people working from home.
—
Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Democrats for years pondered using regulatory pressure to silence purveyors of right-wing talk radio, including the late Rush Limbaugh.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026
Sources at other clubs, including some who have worked with Emery previously, routinely pondered his future, irrespective of success.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Lambert's problem was first posed all the way back in the 1700s by the Swiss polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert, who pondered how to find the optimal trajectory between two moving objects.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 May 2026
Ikumelo pondered for a moment and went for Keke Palmer, star of Hustlers and Pimp.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 May 2026
In January, after its release, Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo pondered legal action against Netflix about the city’s negative portrayal.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
Jim Cramer pondered whether to sell some Corning shares after the stock’s 130% year-to-date run.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 11 May 2026
My trusty spreadsheet pondered data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Democrats for years pondered using regulatory pressure to silence purveyors of right-wing talk radio, including the late Rush Limbaugh.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 23 May 2026
Sources at other clubs, including some who have worked with Emery previously, routinely pondered his future, irrespective of success.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Lambert's problem was first posed all the way back in the 1700s by the Swiss polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert, who pondered how to find the optimal trajectory between two moving objects.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 May 2026
Ikumelo pondered for a moment and went for Keke Palmer, star of Hustlers and Pimp.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 May 2026
In January, after its release, Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo pondered legal action against Netflix about the city’s negative portrayal.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
Jim Cramer pondered whether to sell some Corning shares after the stock’s 130% year-to-date run.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 11 May 2026
My trusty spreadsheet pondered data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondered
Verb
-
The landowners contemplated building a combination gas station/convenience store, but the property wasn’t quite large enough, Barry said.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
3 June 2026
-
Setting the table Regional leaders contemplated that very possibility before the West Sacramento minor league park was ever built.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Amidst the momentous changes of her day, Carson not only fashioned a book that anticipated much that was yet to come and still to be debated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
This tension goes back to the very beginning, to the ratification of the Constitution, when Federalists and anti-Federalists debated whether there was enough glue to hold this new political entity together.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The Atlas Lions stunned everyone en route to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and while France and Spain are considered the favorites in 2026, Morocco is still a contender.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
9 June 2026
-
His office said France considered Franco-German defense cooperation remained a necessity for both countries and their European partners.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
This studied the brain—memory, language—the very stuff of my own work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
To confirm this, the researchers studied the behavior of an oxygen molecule on each type of gold surface.—
Chris Lee,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Turn mealtime into braintime with this interactive puzzle toy that keeps dogs engaged, entertained and mentally stimulated.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
-
The couple reportedly entertained famous friends there.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
But Florida’s family court guardians ad litem are not required to have any training in mental health or domestic abuse, while experts have long questioned the extent to which judges should rely on psychologists’ recommendations.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
4 June 2026
-
Democrats and some Republicans questioned using taxpayer money for the massive project, and Republicans did not include it in the final bill when it was released on Wednesday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Brendan McDermid | Reuters Treasury yields were relatively unchanged on Monday, as investors weighed the impact from Middle East tensions and the diminishing likelihood that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates anytime soon.—
Sean Conlon,Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
-
Surgeons performed a nearly 17-hour operation to remove the leg, which had a large tumor and weighed 174 lbs.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Before taking her 32-year-old brother's offer seriously, Kizzy explored alternatives both in the United Kingdom and abroad.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
-
One current staffer, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, told me that the institution also explored hosting a restaged White House Correspondents’ Dinner.—
Janay Kingsberry,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pondered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondered. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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