as in contemplation
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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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Recent Examples of pondering
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
3 Jan. 2026
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham's special election victory.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
Even the most technology-savvy leaders are still pondering and probing where the ceiling is in terms of containing agent sprawl and complexity.
—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Any larger Hollywood studio would have likely insisted on a grander finale, but The Death of Robin Hood, produced by A24, left me pondering the foolishness of my need for such a denouement.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
And yes, that includes the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, Alex Ovechkin, who is still pondering whether to return for a 22nd NHL season.
—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
For young Americans pondering the best educational and professional path, the stakes are high as AI increasingly impacts the job market.
—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Meanwhile, as the Wall Street Journal reports, executives at OpenAI are pondering whether to kick off a price war with the company’s biggest competitor, Anthropic.
—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
It’s all added up to a potential worst-case scenario for Republicans pondering the midterms.
—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Noun
All 50 years of craft, thought, thematic pondering — everything.
—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham’s special election victory.
—
Jill Lawless,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2026
Starmer spent the weekend pondering his future following Burnham's special election victory.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
Even the most technology-savvy leaders are still pondering and probing where the ceiling is in terms of containing agent sprawl and complexity.
—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Any larger Hollywood studio would have likely insisted on a grander finale, but The Death of Robin Hood, produced by A24, left me pondering the foolishness of my need for such a denouement.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
And yes, that includes the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, Alex Ovechkin, who is still pondering whether to return for a 22nd NHL season.
—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
For young Americans pondering the best educational and professional path, the stakes are high as AI increasingly impacts the job market.
—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Meanwhile, as the Wall Street Journal reports, executives at OpenAI are pondering whether to kick off a price war with the company’s biggest competitor, Anthropic.
—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
It’s all added up to a potential worst-case scenario for Republicans pondering the midterms.
—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondering
Noun
-
Its challenges require active engagement, not passive contemplation.
-
Sterman, after much contemplation, decided to use natives but didn’t develop a detailed plan.
Verb
-
While no regional power is currently capable of replacing the US as the Gulf’s security guarantor, officials are increasingly contemplating a future in which Washington plays a much smaller role in the regional security architecture, the diplomat said.
-
An inflation rate now at its highest level in three years, combined with a high Federal funds rate that's unlikely to change anytime soon, not to mention the possibility of interest rate hikes later this year, has left many savers contemplating their next move.
Noun
-
Denver’s brass was asked about those comments on Wednesday, and Wallace responded by sharing some thoughts on the team’s internal and external goals.
-
And this led me to think about sharing thoughts about the final dance.
Verb
-
People are not only debating Bitcoin.
-
Wall Street spent the week debating who the biggest winners and losers of the artificial intelligence boom will ultimately be.
Noun
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But also very enlightening and [a] profound time of self-reflection and fear, processing and meditation.
-
In the image, Kidman appeared to enjoy a moment of meditation while out in nature.
Verb
-
Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd said Minnesota was considering selecting Duke wing Isaiah Evans with the 28th pick in this week’s NBA Draft, prior to the Wolves sliding back five selections due to the Julius Randle trade.
-
That’s key considering the film’s hard-to-classify nature, in which Early, first of all playing a woman, portrays an aspiring food influencer and content creator who is struggling with an eating disorder.
Noun
-
Jacie Prieto Lopez, LA28’s vice president of communications and public affairs, said in a statement that her organization is pleased to forward the agreement to the council for consideration.
-
According to data from Sports Business Classroom, some cash consideration offerings in transactions alongside players ran well into the multimillion-dollar range.
Verb
-
The program sponsors scholars studying at a wide range of majors and universities throughout the country.
-
France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.
Cite this Entry
“Pondering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondering. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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