ponder
Americanverb (used without object)
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ponders,
present (3rd person singular)
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pondered,
past participle, past
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pondering
present participle
verb (used with object)
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ponders,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pondered,
past participle, past
-
pondering
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pondersimple
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ponderssimple
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have ponderedperfect
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has ponderedperfect
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am ponderingprogressive
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are ponderingprogressive
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is ponderingprogressive
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have been ponderingperfect progressive
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has been ponderingperfect progressive
Past
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ponderedsimple
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had ponderedperfect
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was ponderingprogressive
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were ponderingprogressive
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had been ponderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ponder
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pondren, from Middle French ponderer, from Latin ponderāre “to weigh, reflect on,” derivative of pondus “weight”; akin to pendēre “to be suspended, hang” ( see pend)
Explanation
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" is the first line of Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven. Many a deep thinker has repeated it while musing. But if you've given up deep thinking, you may say instead, "Nevermore." Think of ponder as reflecting on weighty thoughts. It will help you remember the definition if you can remember the word's Latin roots. It comes from ponderare, which literally meant to weigh, and pondus, which means weight. People sometimes use the word ironically, for example, when someone asks you to do something you really don't want to do. You may tap your chin for a second and say, "Let me ponder that." Pause. "Um, no!"
Vocabulary lists containing ponder
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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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:
Emily, John, and David ponder unsolved questions about ourselves and our world.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
Anyone hoping to prosper by holding a leveraged ETF for the long run should ponder Shōhaku’s lions tumbling into the depths of the gorge and the long, treacherous path back to the top.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
U.S. stock-index futures were little changed on Sunday, as investors ponder the likelihood of a fresh interest-rate hike and look ahead to fresh labor data and tech earnings this week.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
Plenty for the new Test coach - and English cricket - to ponder.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
I ponder this for only a moment before realizing he’s right.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
“What’s a good story if things end up the way they began?” she ponders over the narration in the film’s opening sequence, itself a nod to how the first movie begins.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
In his weekly Flow Show strategy note, Bank of America’s Michael Hartnett ponders the likelihood of Warsh imposing a rate hike to calm the long end of the Treasury curve.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
In Benidorm, as he ponders what looks likely to be another record-breaking summer for Spain, Fede Fuster acknowledges the backlash against his sector.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
As Daphne ponders the sculpture “Two Horses,” by Charles Ray, Jonathan spots an elderly stranger eyeing his wife, casting glances in her direction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Gogol slouches in his seat and ponders certain awkward truths.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Investors pondered whether the recent selloff had gone too far and now offered attractive levels to start buying again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
But, we pondered, what factors allowed me to be blasé?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Yuriy, a senior instructor who led one of the squads across the gruelling obstacle course, has at times pondered the necessity of such trials given the nature of drone warfare.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Lewis admitted some of the witness stories were compelling and "would have an effect" on him as he pondered them before his rational self took over.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
As he pondered this, he heard footsteps in the hall, followed by a timid knock at the half-open door.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
But by the time he enters high school, he’s already gone from “reading A.A. Milne to Bukowski,” and by 17, he’s pondering Sonnet #2 by Ted Berrigan, in awe of how Berrigan “subverted the form.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
"The biggest compliment you can pay Harry Kane is to ask yourself how long we've been pondering the question 'what will England do if Harry Kane gets injured?',"
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Take a look back at the memorable unsolved queries that Slate readers were pondering 20 years ago.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
With one hike delivered and one more likely to come this year, investors are pondering the likely pace of further tightening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The dragon cocked his head and looked at the ceiling, like he was pondering something.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
