meditate
Americanverb (used without object)
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meditates,
present (3rd person singular)
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meditated,
past participle, past
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meditating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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meditates,
present (3rd person singular)
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meditated,
past participle, past
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meditating
present participle
verb
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to think about something deeply
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(intr) to reflect deeply on spiritual matters, esp as a religious act
I make space to meditate every day
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(tr) to plan, consider, or think of doing (something)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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meditativenessnoun
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meditatornoun
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meditativeadjective
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unmeditatedadjective
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unmeditatingadjective
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meditatinglyadverb
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meditativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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meditatesimple
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meditatessimple
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have meditatedperfect
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has meditatedperfect
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am meditatingprogressive
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are meditatingprogressive
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is meditatingprogressive
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have been meditatingperfect progressive
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has been meditatingperfect progressive
Past
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meditatedsimple
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had meditatedperfect
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was meditatingprogressive
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were meditatingprogressive
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had been meditatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of meditate
First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin meditātus “contemplated, planned,” past participle of meditārī “to meditate, contemplate, plan”
Explanation
When you meditate, you silently calm or focus your mind for relaxation or spiritual reasons. People who meditate regularly can put a stop to racing thoughts, making them less distracted. When you meditate, you focus on your breathing while sitting calmly. Some people mediate to reduce stress, while others see it as part of their spiritual practice. Meditate can also be used to describe any deep thinking you do, like when you meditate on what to say to a friend who is feeling sad lately. The Latin word for "ponder," meditari, is the root of meditate.
Vocabulary lists containing meditate
Think Tank: Thought-Provoking Vocabulary
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50 Words from Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice"
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Schooled
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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:
In a 15-slide post on his personal Instagram account, Fifa president Gianni Infantino tells his critics to "meditate, pray or watch a football match" instead of "spreading hate and false rumours" about his leadership.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has told critics to "meditate, pray or watch a football match" instead of "spreading hate and false rumours" about his leadership, the governing body and the World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Buddhism-themed tourism is thriving and tens of thousands of locals and foreigners sign up every year for "temple stay" retreats where they eat simple monastic food, do chores and meditate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
The indie singer-songwriter fills his new record with a plethora of musical references while using quiet locales to meditate on heady concepts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
After dinner the visitors went out on the front balcony to meditate on the hospital idea.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
She added that before every show she meditates, has an extensive vocal warm-up and "runs sections of the show".
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
On the remarkable and moving “Little Gears,” a waltz-time number built atop piano and brushed drums, she meditates on a spider weaving a web.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025
A Forest Therapy participant meditates against a large tree in the Huntington’s cypress grove.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
Frazier said the garden has given her a place for more than just growing food — it’s where she meditates, connects with nature, and makes friends, too.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2023
She meditates a lot so during her class break it ain’t unusual to see her sitting on the desk with her legs folded and her arms crossed.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
As I stared into empty niches that once contained massive wooden statues of saints, I meditated on how fragile our democracy is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Throughout his two-year illness, she meditated, prayed, talked to her husband about spirituality and recited Buddhist chants for him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
He meditated and prayed to archangels as an attempt to pull himself back together.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
Chelsea, in Oregon, meditated on the decision of whether or not to have kids for about a year after she started doubting it during the pandemic.
From Salon ● May 10, 2025
I nodded as if I agreed, but my parents meditated and did yoga together, and didn’t yell.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Researchers were also interested in the subjective experiences participants had while meditating.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
The shift in energy I experienced while meditating showed up on the results of my brain scan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
He spends chapters meditating on trauma and fatherhood, on periods of feeling spiritually adrift, on coming to love a “majestic” faith tradition while remaining connected to the rowdy evangelicals of his childhood.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
McIlroy closed his eyes - seemingly meditating rather than napping - as he sat propped against an advertising board while waiting or several minutes on the 10th tee.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
There was a vague smile on the broad mouth and in the lines of the closed eyelids that made the frog appear to be meditating on a homey universe.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
