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
Bloomberg, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
Recently, that other long-running music magazine published a list of the 100 Greatest Punk Albums and their picks left me pondering the exact boundaries of punk (which, admittedly, is not a very punk thing to do).
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 2 June 2026
Moore elected to return to Oregon after pondering a leap to the NFL.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Park sits down — in the same spot Bardolph stabbed him with a fork in episode 3 — and the pair start pondering Tom's passing.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
By mid-November, the administration was even pondering a 40-cent-per-gallon levy, with the proceeds eventually refunded to consumers.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Would that every schoolchild could stand on the grassy knoll for a quiet minute, pondering the imponderables.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
Chicagoans from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Superintendent Larry Snelling on down are pondering the best way to respond to teen takeovers, which have become increasingly common since the COVID-19 pandemic and often take place in some of the city’s wealthiest, most visible neighborhoods.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2026
Counties across the state have been pondering this crisis and devising solutions that can be accomplished in partnership with our state leaders — because this crisis is unquestionably our shared responsibility to solve.
—Monica Montgomery Steppe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Noun
All 50 years of craft, thought, thematic pondering — everything.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Jan. 2026
Verb
It’s all added up to a potential worst-case scenario for Republicans pondering the midterms.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
Recently, that other long-running music magazine published a list of the 100 Greatest Punk Albums and their picks left me pondering the exact boundaries of punk (which, admittedly, is not a very punk thing to do).
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 2 June 2026
Moore elected to return to Oregon after pondering a leap to the NFL.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Park sits down — in the same spot Bardolph stabbed him with a fork in episode 3 — and the pair start pondering Tom's passing.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
By mid-November, the administration was even pondering a 40-cent-per-gallon levy, with the proceeds eventually refunded to consumers.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Would that every schoolchild could stand on the grassy knoll for a quiet minute, pondering the imponderables.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
Chicagoans from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Superintendent Larry Snelling on down are pondering the best way to respond to teen takeovers, which have become increasingly common since the COVID-19 pandemic and often take place in some of the city’s wealthiest, most visible neighborhoods.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2026
Counties across the state have been pondering this crisis and devising solutions that can be accomplished in partnership with our state leaders — because this crisis is unquestionably our shared responsibility to solve.
—Monica Montgomery Steppe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondering
Noun
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Those could be be relationships, creative endeavors and the contemplation of big questions about life.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Following several years of contemplation and asceticism, Dorje hopes to return to the United States to teach in Minnesota's Buddhist community at the Nyingmapa Taksham Buddhist Center.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Now, a new report suggests some owners are already contemplating an unusual factor that could influence negotiations if talks drag into next year.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
The state argues those conversations illustrate a broader failure by OpenAI to prevent its technology from providing dangerous assistance to users contemplating violence.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
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At least that was the thought entering the NBA Finals, where the Spurs, a team with rich championship history, have been known to have one of the most passionate fanbases in all of sports.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The world is still debating whether this is a short-term disruption while farmers are already being forced to make decisions today that will have consequences next year.—
John W.H. Denton AO,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
Regulators are debating whether the new data centers will strain the Texas power grid and affect electricity costs.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Wellness classes are complimentary and include yoga, pilates, sound bath healing, meditation, and HIIT workouts.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Effective CEOs can attend to their mental and emotional states through intentional self-care, exercise, journaling, meditation, and by blocking out time to truly connect with those most important to them, no matter what.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 14 states are considering legislation that would pause or ban new data centers.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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Although some of these drones get through, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to homes and infrastructure, analysts at RUSI and CSIS say that Ukraine’s air defenses are doing remarkably well considering the sheer size of Russia’s attacks.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Beyond the practical considerations like stadium sites and financing, experts say the MLB will also examine cities’ demographics and corporate presence.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
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That’s becoming a more expensive consideration because AI tabs are starting to rack up.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Other teams of astronomers have looked for clues about the movements of giant planets in the orbits of asteroids and other small objects, studying them like footprints to reconstruct how they might have been pushed or pulled into their current orbits by the gravity of giant planets on the move.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
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By studying past hurricanes, AI models can identify similarities with current storms and help forecasters detect important changes earlier.—
Katie Garch,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pondering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondering. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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