as in contemplating
to give serious and careful thought to
I'm pondering whether or not I should join another committee
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as in contemplation
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Recent Examples of pondering
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Also pondering shellfish, the German philosopher Carl du Prel insisted in 1885 that, in the wake of Darwin’s discoveries, people can no longer assume humans represent consciousness’s culmination in the Universe.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
There are some key wording aspects in this Section 7 that are worth pondering.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
That additional round of CFP competition has the working group pondering whether the regular season should start earlier, on the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend?
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Several blue states are pondering responses to Texas to even the redistricting score.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
While producers pondering where to set their next movie will surely be tempted, this does come at a time when those in Hollywood especially are desperate to bring production back to home shores.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
Since then, hosts have included Jo Koy, who bombed, and Jerrod Carmichael, who gave an esoteric monologue pondering the value of his presence there.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Murphy, who has launched a group called the American EV Jobs Alliance to try to build bipartisan support for electric vehicles, has spent years pondering why more Republicans won't buy them.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
In the eyes of many fans, discussions about musical quality have given way to conversations about who snitched; pondering an artist’s potential has been replaced by RICO speculation.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Also pondering shellfish, the German philosopher Carl du Prel insisted in 1885 that, in the wake of Darwin’s discoveries, people can no longer assume humans represent consciousness’s culmination in the Universe.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
There are some key wording aspects in this Section 7 that are worth pondering.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
That additional round of CFP competition has the working group pondering whether the regular season should start earlier, on the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend?
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Several blue states are pondering responses to Texas to even the redistricting score.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
While producers pondering where to set their next movie will surely be tempted, this does come at a time when those in Hollywood especially are desperate to bring production back to home shores.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
Since then, hosts have included Jo Koy, who bombed, and Jerrod Carmichael, who gave an esoteric monologue pondering the value of his presence there.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Murphy, who has launched a group called the American EV Jobs Alliance to try to build bipartisan support for electric vehicles, has spent years pondering why more Republicans won't buy them.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 13 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondering
Verb
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Investors contemplating Kohl’s must consider whether this represents a genuine turnaround or merely a fleeting bounce enhanced by meme-stock phenomena.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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Yet, the fruit carries a broader meaning as well, as the Christ child also intimately interacts with it, grasping and contemplating it.—
Demir Alp,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Bill gravitates towards Tammy (Jane Levy), his daughter-in-law and the only other person in his rambunctious household who values contemplation and repose.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
-
In the contemplation stage, individuals consider the need for change and intend to take action within the foreseeable future.—
Susan Madsen,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Emery is more articulate than many, and debating the fairness of the current system is a worthy endeavour, but even that snippet was rooted in a generous interpretation of ‘good management’.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Prompted by a question his son had about the number pi, Brooks began debating math with ChatGPT – particularly the idea that numbers do not just stay the same and can change over time.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In that initial video call, McCarthy shared his thoughts on Acosta’s previous offenses.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Follow Scheffler for destination stories, travel trends and thought-provoking conversations from the world of travel.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Louisville Metro Council is considering an ordinance to define and regulate new types of homeless shelters that council members hope will help expand shelter access during periods of extreme weather.—
Killian Baarlaer,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
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In New York City, the city council is considering a bill that would end the city’s longstanding daylighting exemption.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The short film, commissioned and distributed by WePresent, won the Academy Award for best live action short film in 2022 and served as a meditation on belonging and rising intolerance.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Yoga, Zumba, aqua conditioning, meditation, group fitness classes, and personal training sessions are also available.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An international research team led by Tohoku University has uncovered the secret behind this biological capability by studying a specific set of neural mechanisms.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Sep. 2025
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By studying objects from beyond the solar system, researchers may be able to understand more about the outermost dwarf planets.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Johnson’s dishonesty doesn’t even take into consideration the carnage from the homicides of yesteryear in the Windy City.—
Christopher Tremoglie,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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In their permit applications, companies cite this reality, often listing financial considerations as the reason for seeking exemptions, Oilfield Witness found.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pondering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondering. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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