meditate

verb

med·​i·​tate ˈme-də-ˌtāt 

meditated; meditating

intransitive verb

1

: to engage in contemplation or reflection

He meditated long and hard before announcing his decision.

2

: to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

transitive verb

1

: to focus one's thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over

He was meditating his past achievements.

2

: to plan or project in the mind : intend, purpose

He was meditating revenge.

meditator

ˈme-də-ˌtā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of meditate

• contemplate
• ponder
• entertain
• consider
• study
• debate

Choose the Right Synonym for meditate

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately.

ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Examples of meditate in a Sentence

He meditates for an hour every morning.

I've been meditating a career change for months.

Recent Examples on the Web

The participants had a wide range of meditation experience, from beginners to advanced practitioners, and they were instructed to focus on their breathing while meditating. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 7 June 2026

Here, part of the luxury is the slow pace; the sheer placement compels you to meditate. —Valentina Di Donato, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Francis Ford Coppola meditates on the question of who is watching the watchmen in The Conversation, a neo-noir mystery thriller about the human side of surveillance. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026

At other times, the music meditates on an image — there’s a tribute to Sylvia Plath, another famous McLean patient — that’s beautiful on its own but dramatically inert. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin meditatus, past participle of meditari, frequentative of medēri to remedy — more at medical

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing meditate

• meditate on/upon

Rhymes for meditate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

meditate

verb

med·​i·​tate ˈmed-ə-ˌtāt 

meditated; meditating

1

a

: to consider or think over carefully : contemplate

b

: to spend time in quiet thinking : reflect

2

: intend, plan

meditate a trip abroad