meditation

American  

[med-i-tay-shuhn] / ˌmɛd ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• meditations
  plural

1. the act of meditating.

2. continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation.

3. Transcendental Meditation.

4. devout religious contemplation or spiritual introspection.

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meditation British  

/ ˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of meditating; contemplation; reflection

2. contemplation of spiritual matters, esp as a religious practice

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• meditations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of meditation

First recorded in 1175–1225; from Latin meditātiōn-, stem of meditātiō “contemplation, planning”; equivalent to meditate + -ion

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Explanation

A meditation is an extended period of thought or concentration. If you practice yoga and you often meditate, you know what meditation is. But any time you focus on one thing for a long time, it's an act of meditation. After you've thought about something for a while, you can write about it, and that writing could be called a meditation, too. Beethoven's Ode to Joy is a meditation on joy. If you're easily upset by things, consider meditation. Slowing down your thought process and concentrating on it for a while can make you feel better. Samurai were known for meditating before going into battle. Meditation gave them focus, and focus gave them power.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

meditation meditations

Zeidan's laboratory is currently conducting several clinical trials using brain imaging to investigate whether mindfulness meditation and psychedelic treatments can change the neural processes involved in self-reflection.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Recent work by Zeidan and his colleagues has explored two potential approaches: mindfulness meditation and the psychedelic compound psilocybin.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Inside the weekly Buddhist meditation session at Hollywood Forever Cemetery that’s using mortality to teach Angelenos how to live.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

While others find peace through meditation and community dinners, Gibbs finds it through the brigade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

He soon stirred; my eye was instantly drawn to his movements; he only took out a morocco pocket-book, thence produced a letter, which he read in silence, folded it, put it back, relapsed into meditation.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

These works, meditations on a space where she spent much time, share some kinship with those of the Abstract Expressionists and Color Field painters of the era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

There were other features in the app that I didn’t fully utilize, like journal prompts, mood trackers, meditations, and more.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

“Fantasy” resulted from his meditations within the pyramids of Giza and his claimed communications with aliens.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

I like philosophy and I’ve been getting into a lot of Zen meditations.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Then he applied his mind to his early morning meditations.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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Related Words

• introspection
• reflection
• rumination
• self-examination

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