ruminate

[roo-muh-neyt]

verb (used without object)

ruminated, ruminating 

1. to meditate or muse; ponder.

   Synonyms: reflect, think

2. Psychology.,  to obsessively revisit the same thought or theme over and over again.

3. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.

verb (used with object)

ruminated, ruminating 

1. to chew again or over and over.

2. to meditate on; ponder.

ruminate

/ ˈruːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (of ruminants) to chew (the cud)

2. to meditate or ponder (upon)

Other Word Forms

• ruminatingly adverb
• rumination noun
• ruminative adjective
• ruminatively adverb
• ruminator noun
• nonruminating adjective
• nonruminatingly adverb
• nonruminative adjective
• unruminated adjective
• unruminating adjective
• unruminatingly adverb
• unruminative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruminate¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin rūminātus (past participle of rūminārī, rūmināre “to ruminate”), equivalent to rūmin- (stem of rūmen “throat, gullet”; rumen ) + -ātus past participle suffix ( -ate ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruminate¹

C16: from Latin rūmināre to chew the cud, from _rumen

Example Sentences

“The patience and stillness that Clint has built into the film allows people to then ruminate on their own life while going on Robert’s journey in a way that’s significant.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Instead, she ruminates on how microchimerism might change our understanding of ourselves.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

No more camping out in Abbey Road studios, the Beatles’ favorite laboratory, hiring out string sections and horn sections, ruminating over tracks for as long as it took.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But rather than ruminating on the global picture, "It makes me hopeful when I see individual action happening on smaller local levels, people using their voices and speaking up or taking action."

Read more on Barron's

We roam relentlessly through our memories of the past and ruminate restlessly on the future, thinking, if only it was this perfectly verifiable way, or that exactly quantifiable way.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brainstorm 
• brood 
• meditate 
• ponder 

When To Use

What does ruminate mean?

To ruminate is to carefully think something over, ponder it, or meditate on it.It can also mean to chew over and over again, as is done by ruminant animals, like cows.In psychology, the term means to obsessively repeat thoughts or excessively think about problems.In all cases, the process of ruminating is called rumination.Example: After ruminating about it for months, I have decided to pursue a new career.