as in pondering
to give serious and careful thought to
the minister hoped that the congregation would spend the remainder of the week ruminating the message of his sermon
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Recent Examples of ruminating
Shaboozey, who cites Pink Floyd’s surreal The Wall as one of his favorite albums and movies, had been ruminating on the idea for more than a decade.
—
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Marin directed some of his ire at Esalen, the epicenter of the Human Potential Movement and the playground, its critics scoffed, of those privileged enough to spend their days ruminating over the self.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Ricky Gervais will be in attendance to give a masterclass as creator and director of Netflix’s Alley Cats, the adult animation following a group of feral cats who seek companionship while ruminating on everyday life, accompanied by a sneak peek of the first two episodes.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
But Gernsback's innovation of collecting previously-diffuse bits of literature ruminating on scientific discovery or technological advancement in one place proved to be an idea with staying power.
—Chris Klimek, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026
Boston, who serves as showrunner, creator, writer, and executive producer of the series has been ruminating on its terrors and delights for awhile now.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
The musical reimagines the Greek myths while ruminating on greed, labor and love.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 25 Mar. 2026
The shooter appears to have been ruminating on the event since at least 2016, according to prosecutors at the time.
—Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
If your friend or family member is struggling to keep up with daily responsibilities, constantly ruminating about relationship issues, or expressing a sense of hopelessness, consider bringing it up, says Francesca Emma, a therapist in New York.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Marin directed some of his ire at Esalen, the epicenter of the Human Potential Movement and the playground, its critics scoffed, of those privileged enough to spend their days ruminating over the self.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Ricky Gervais will be in attendance to give a masterclass as creator and director of Netflix’s Alley Cats, the adult animation following a group of feral cats who seek companionship while ruminating on everyday life, accompanied by a sneak peek of the first two episodes.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
But Gernsback's innovation of collecting previously-diffuse bits of literature ruminating on scientific discovery or technological advancement in one place proved to be an idea with staying power.
—Chris Klimek, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026
Boston, who serves as showrunner, creator, writer, and executive producer of the series has been ruminating on its terrors and delights for awhile now.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2026
The musical reimagines the Greek myths while ruminating on greed, labor and love.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 25 Mar. 2026
The shooter appears to have been ruminating on the event since at least 2016, according to prosecutors at the time.
—Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
If your friend or family member is struggling to keep up with daily responsibilities, constantly ruminating about relationship issues, or expressing a sense of hopelessness, consider bringing it up, says Francesca Emma, a therapist in New York.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruminating
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
That puts state attorneys general contemplating a lawsuit on the clock.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
-
To anyone contemplating leaving the city because of political biases, good night and good luck.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Leaders practice reconciling an AI recommendation with their own judgment, debating an ethical trade-off with no easy answer, or realigning a group after trust slips.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
-
A lot of people are debating it.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Well, Texas Tech's most prominent booster, Cody Campbell, has some very pointed comments for those schools, conferences, or institutions considering taking action against the program.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Messengers could also be faced with considering a constitutional amendment proposed by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler that would ban women from serving in primary church leadership roles within the denomination.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Inserra described the changing signals as further confirmation of the dragging effect and a promising tool for studying spin and accretion.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
-
No shortcuts, no giving up - just more studying and even more determination.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Players trudged out of Atlanta Stadium (AKA Mercedes-Benz Stadium) with their eyes fixed on the floor, not even entertaining the thought of engaging with questions.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
The Season’s characters, entertaining in their obnoxiously wealthy and drama-prone ways but not exactly dimensional, simply aren’t built for close scrutiny.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
According to the affidavit, investigators confronted Holmes with the surveillance video and witness statements during questioning.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
As Fujimori’s lead slowly widened in the past few days, Sánchez intensified his efforts to rally supporters, questioning the integrity of the vote review process and framing the dispute as a broader fight for democratic legitimacy.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Police described Taylor as a Black male standing approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Authorities described him as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing about 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruminating. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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