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
Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 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
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about musical quality have given way to conversations about who snitched; pondering an artist’s potential has been replaced by RICO speculation.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
Noun
The Revival Act has left some pondering what the endgame looks like for Zuffa.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 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
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about musical quality have given way to conversations about who snitched; pondering an artist’s potential has been replaced by RICO speculation.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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondering
Verb
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Even the upside-down notion of Fox News turning into a progressive network or other legacy Murdoch assets being transformed seemed to be scenarios worth contemplating.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The film’s title carries particular significance for Yoon, who has been contemplating it for 15 years.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Even the assassination of political figures is not the same thing as just being shot in the throat for the crime of debating issues in the public square.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2025
-
If your current TikTok feed is full of Gen-Z and millennial users debating short nails verses long-almond nail shape nails, rest assured that burgundy nails work with either camp.—
Jamie Wilson,
Glamour,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Here, though, the research team is trying to model people’s thoughts on financial policy, which is why the enumerated outcomes include initial rate recommendations, made up of a preferred policy rate, a confidence score, and a summary.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Lauren, 40, then chimed in with her own thoughts on what makes their relationship work after all these years.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now, the Heat are considering a reunion with a free agent former big man, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The city of Fort Worth is considering changing land use rules for a handful of parcels to allow buildings up to 15 stories.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Historically linked to meditation and traditional Japanese dining culture, today’s iterations are all about modern living needs that suit every whim—lounging while binging on the White Lotus reruns, creating a reading nook, or simply losing oneself in texts at the end of the day.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
10 Sep. 2025
-
There is something about the act of paying very close attention to the world through the camera, Shore explained, that can mimic a kind of altered state of consciousness, akin to what occurs during meditation.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To create the new surface—which the FDA categorizes differently from other breast implants on the market—Motiva partnered with scientists studying nanotechnology’s role in breast implant surface design at the University of Manchester in England.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Acting was a career shift for Tillman, who was a pre-med student in college studying to be an orthopedic surgeon.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For industries that involve high-consideration, expensive purchases like buying a car, finding the right balance between automation and human connection is critical.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
And while Miller is garnering consideration to replace Trouba and become the 29th captain in franchise history, the stronger winds seem to be blowing toward veteran center Vincent Trocheck.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pondering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondering. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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