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
The philosopher Biggie Smalls once pondered the nature of dangerously escalating rivalries.
—
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Standing alone in a Swedish laundromat, Alfie Whiteman set a 10-second timer on his camera and pondered what to do next.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Local leaders have pondered a wide-ranging possibility of future uses for the property, from textile manufacturing to education to retail.
—Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon pondered in a press statement.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Someone who has pondered such niceties is Richard Posner, a former circuit judge and a prolific legal scholar.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Lisa Nelson, executive director of the Hamline-Midway Coalition, said her board members pondered that question at length.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Mar. 2026
These are questions that thinkers, philosophers, and academics have pondered over for centuries.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Mar. 2026
Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan once pondered that the extras who make up the hive mind on the dystopian future show should be naked.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2026
Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Standing alone in a Swedish laundromat, Alfie Whiteman set a 10-second timer on his camera and pondered what to do next.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Local leaders have pondered a wide-ranging possibility of future uses for the property, from textile manufacturing to education to retail.
—Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon pondered in a press statement.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Someone who has pondered such niceties is Richard Posner, a former circuit judge and a prolific legal scholar.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Lisa Nelson, executive director of the Hamline-Midway Coalition, said her board members pondered that question at length.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Mar. 2026
These are questions that thinkers, philosophers, and academics have pondered over for centuries.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Mar. 2026
Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan once pondered that the extras who make up the hive mind on the dystopian future show should be naked.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondered
Verb
-
Imagine, for a moment, if former Vice President Kamala Harris had jumped into the governor’s race, as contemplated.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
Hot Ones host Sean Evans was featured on the Most Powerful People in Media list and contemplated who his next dream guest would be.—
John Ross,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Strait to Hell, a high-octane, flag-waving, boots-on-the-ground simulator where freedom isn’t debated, it’s deployed.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Board members debated the organization chart two weeks ago and had initially planned to hold a non-voting workshop on Monday, with a final vote next week.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s also a small but well-kept gym and a nearby pool, rounding out amenities that feel thoughtfully considered to fit the hotel’s smaller footprint.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
The section is considered one of the most difficult and trickiest to climb.—
Pasang Rinzee Sherpa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The geological formation has been studied for decades, and that long record of scientific interest shapes how the company describes its role.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
For years, researchers have studied endocasts of Neanderthal skulls, trying to piece together how their brains were different or similar to ours.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Frank Sinatra entertained at his Twin Palms estate; Marilyn Monroe retreated here between films, and Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned in an A-frame hideaway steps from downtown.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
-
The longtime veteran figured to only take snaps for the G-Men barring an injury to the young phenom in Dart, but at the very least, he is surely entertained by his play.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
School Committee members extensively questioned the policy Wednesday, digging into how the success of the new guardrails would be monitored, how equity would be ensured across groups like multilingual learners and students with less technological resources and more.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
7 May 2026
-
Less than a week after that announcement, DIA put plans to commission a feasibility study on hold after Denver City Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore questioned why the airport didn’t first consult the community and residents around DIA.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Participants weighed the pros and cons of, for example, holograms and virtual reality headsets in Holocaust education.—
Toby Axelrod,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
The uncertainty has weighed heavily on young workers.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
In a 2017 study published in Genome Biology and Evolution, researchers explored the unusual sensory adaptations that are associated with the species’ feeding behavior.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
The new work explored a different possibility.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pondered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondered. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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