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
Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Over a mashup of fiddles and guitars, Tod and Jennings blend their rough-hewn voices on a song about consequences for older vices and choices, pondering when the consequences of those actions outweigh the vices themselves.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Leonardo DiCaprio has longtime fans pondering if a former teen heartthrob by any other name is still just as famous.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
Figuring out how to manage and reduce stress is always a question worth pondering.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 17 Sep. 2025
Brendan McDermid | Reuters After Swedish payments group Klarna’s $17 billion initial public offering, investors are pondering which big fintech name will be the next to go public.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
Perfect for pondering what’s more human than human or planning insurgent actions against a cruel imperial apparatus.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Turns out Stephano was pondering beltmaking too, leading the two to partner on a new business venture creating small-batch leather pieces and metal accessories.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
That's when the longtime friends with search backgrounds began pondering how AI had changed the search industry, as publishers today are forced to compete with AI outputs referencing their own content as search traffic nosedives.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Instead, the Mets are back to square one, pondering a new kind of disappointment.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Over a mashup of fiddles and guitars, Tod and Jennings blend their rough-hewn voices on a song about consequences for older vices and choices, pondering when the consequences of those actions outweigh the vices themselves.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Leonardo DiCaprio has longtime fans pondering if a former teen heartthrob by any other name is still just as famous.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
Figuring out how to manage and reduce stress is always a question worth pondering.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 17 Sep. 2025
Brendan McDermid | Reuters After Swedish payments group Klarna’s $17 billion initial public offering, investors are pondering which big fintech name will be the next to go public.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025
Perfect for pondering what’s more human than human or planning insurgent actions against a cruel imperial apparatus.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Turns out Stephano was pondering beltmaking too, leading the two to partner on a new business venture creating small-batch leather pieces and metal accessories.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
That's when the longtime friends with search backgrounds began pondering how AI had changed the search industry, as publishers today are forced to compete with AI outputs referencing their own content as search traffic nosedives.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondering
Verb
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Now, Brown is losing followers, other creators are weighing in, and another Hannah Brown is contemplating ways to distance herself from the whole thing.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2025
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In a Fox Business interview, Carr mentioned that the FTC is contemplating broadening its click-to-cancel rulemaking, asserting his disagreement with the previous administration’s approach to establishing the rule.—
Jordan Green,
Nashville Tennessean,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This is coming after a period of rest, contemplation, and confusion about where your life is headed.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
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But as Giannis himself reminded everyone, this personal pattern of extreme offseason contemplation is nothing new.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Sept 5, 2024, a year before his death, Charlie Kirk was debating at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
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The effect is to infuse the story with an undeniable and knowing nostalgia; how quaint, at Alma’s party, to find everyone debating matters of representational consequence.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That’s where Chase focused his thoughts on what needs to come next.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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While speaking during a panel discussion at the event, Howard opened up about her time directing episodes of Ahsoka specifically — as well as her thoughts on the upcoming second season.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Euro zone inflation picks up pace European investors are considering various data releases on Wednesday.—
Tasmin Lockwood,Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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But doing just that could prove difficult, considering the litany of injuries the team is dealing with on the offensive side of the ball.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The book alternates between memoir and cookbook, sharing recipes for dishes like Mom’s Lasagna, dandelion frittata and chicken cacciatore, alongside tales of growing up in Buffalo, recollections of family canning season and meditations on the ties between family and food.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
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Sleep, meditation, and yoga help overall coping and pain.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Empowerment Plan started as Veronika Scott's class project while studying at Detroit's College of Creative Studies, George said.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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During Alina’s sentence, her daughter had looked after their home while also studying biomedicine.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The recommendation will now go to the Louisville Metro Council for its consideration.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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Things to Consider While Ezekiel bread is a healthy bread choice, there are some considerations to take into account for certain people.—
Angelica Bottaro,
Verywell Health,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pondering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondering. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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