contemplate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully.
to contemplate the stars.
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to consider thoroughly; think fully or deeply about.
to contemplate a difficult problem.
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to have as a purpose; intend.
The District Attorney's office does not contemplate any charges.
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to have in view as a future event.
to contemplate buying a new car.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to think about intently and at length; consider calmly
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(intr) to think intently and at length, esp for spiritual reasons; meditate
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to look at thoughtfully; observe pensively
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to have in mind as a possibility
to contemplate changing jobs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contemplatesimple
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contemplatessimple
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have contemplatedperfect
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has contemplatedperfect
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am contemplatingprogressive
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are contemplatingprogressive
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is contemplatingprogressive
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have been contemplatingperfect progressive
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has been contemplatingperfect progressive
Past
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contemplatedsimple
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had contemplatedperfect
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was contemplatingprogressive
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were contemplatingprogressive
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had been contemplatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contemplate
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin contemplātus, past participle of contemplāre, contemplārī “to survey, observe,” equivalent to con- “with, together” + templ(um) “space marked off for augural observation” + -ātus past participle suffix; see origin at con-, temple 1, -ate 1
Explanation
Before you accept a job offer, or a college's offer of admission, you should take time to contemplate the pros and cons of your decision. If you contemplate something, you think about it carefully. Contemplate is from Latin contemplatus, past participle of contemplari "to gaze attentively, observe," from the prefix com- "together" plus templum "temple." The original meaning of Latin contemplari was "to mark out a space for observing auguries or omens," and the temple was a holy space reserved for this purpose.
Vocabulary lists containing contemplate
Of Mice and Men
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List 5
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dahlia Lithwick: The decision in Slaughter will have knock-on effects that most people probably haven’t even begun to contemplate.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
He added that the department’s position is the state’s Administrative Procedure Act does not contemplate the commissioner or department staff authorizing intervention requests in the case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
A living being is also endowed with theoretical knowledge—as in the Greek term theorein, meaning to behold, receive and contemplate ultimate reality as beauty, gift and mystery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The losses come as investors contemplate a coming IPO by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is aiming to raise $75 billion in the biggest initial public offering ever.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Instead, he whispered, “I wish you hadn’t done that,” and walked past me up the stairs, leaving me to contemplate the carnage of my brief command.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
As the seventh generation of his family to fish for eels on Lough Neagh, he gets emotional when he contemplates the future.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Meanwhile, Sam Adams contemplates the film’s ending, arguing that Nolan’s final plot twist changes the meaning of the whole story.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Paul McCartney releases an album inspired by his youth in Liverpool, Marilyn Monroe gets a centenary-celebrating exhibition in Los Angeles, Brendan Fraser’s Dwight D. Eisenhower contemplates storming the beaches of Normandy, and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
The resolution asks teachers to “encourage the use of paper and pen assignments” and also contemplates banning student access to YouTube as well as the gaming platforms Roblox and “Fortnite.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
He contemplates the “bond that never lets go of us, not even when we suffer the most, the bond of God’s love.”
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
In a series of X.com posts, James said he contemplated retirement before choosing the 76ers over several other suitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Nike last week said its results would get a lift from tariff refunds that were “not contemplated in the company’s previously provided guidance.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
In recent years, the “Good Wife” and “Shrinking” actor has contemplated on his mortality, telling “CBS News Sunday Morning” in 2023 that he doesn’t see himself making it to 80.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
It isn’t meant to be entered, only contemplated, an oasis of calm amid the urban hubbub.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Poor Linda lifted her face and with closed eyes ecstatically contemplated the bright remembered image.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
As they celebrate America’s 250th birthday, they are also contemplating the relevance of their orientation to the nation’s conception of itself.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
This man, meanwhile, is contemplating waiting so that his wife will get a higher amount through survivor benefits in the event he dies before she does.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
“After a few years of contemplating whether I wanted to continue chasing a dream I had as a little kid, I have decided to go for it,” Ohashi wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Now he has been ejected from power by his own party and instead of ushering in a "decade of national renewal," as he had promised, he is contemplating a return to the back benches.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
A few of them sauntered along the dock, bending over to hoist long, yellow-spruce oars, getting the feel of them, contemplating their considerable heft.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
