contemplate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
contemplates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contemplated,
past participle, past
-
contemplating
present participle
-
to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully.
to contemplate the stars.
-
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)
-
contemplates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contemplated,
past participle, past
-
contemplating
present participle
verb
-
to think about intently and at length; consider calmly
-
(intr) to think intently and at length, esp for spiritual reasons; meditate
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to look at thoughtfully; observe pensively
-
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
-
contemplatessimple
-
have contemplatedperfect
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has contemplatedperfect
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am contemplatingprogressive
-
are contemplatingprogressive
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is contemplatingprogressive
-
have been contemplatingperfect progressive
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has been contemplatingperfect progressive
Past
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contemplatedsimple
-
had contemplatedperfect
-
was contemplatingprogressive
-
were contemplatingprogressive
-
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:
Millions of Europeans will contemplate the sky in awe on Wednesday as a rare total solar eclipse crosses part of the continent and plunges a swathe of Spain into eerie daytime darkness.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
They must be hungry—twice they catch skunks, and a sealed house with a skunk inside, loaded or unloaded, is more than this viewer wanted to contemplate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
But no one at the club will want to contemplate such a thought.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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
Finally I decided to do something most college athletes can never contemplate: leaving campus to study abroad.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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
The president is known to monitor the stock market and the state of the economy regularly while he contemplates policy decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
“The Drama” contemplates thorny matters, but it’s not satire.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026
The elfin nun from Santo Domingo is crazy about saints, often identifying the holy ones long before the Vatican even contemplates their canonization.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
The couple anxiously contemplated the request before agreeing to lend Barnes £10,000, after he promised it would be repaid within a week.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 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
I never thought about it before, never contemplated it, never even thought of those words together before in my life, and they just came out to me that day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Treasury yields fell as markets contemplated the prospect of a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
Jemmy sat on the bed straw beside the prince and contemplated his breakfast.
From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman
The Times spoke with the heads of four of these nonprofits, all who said they feel like they’re flying blind and are contemplating cuts to services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
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
Lionel Messi, at 39, remains Argentina's leader and inspiration, still capable of producing the magic that has this proud and passionate football country contemplating a repeat of their World Cup win four years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Guests, in other words, must vacate the room by the stated hour or expect to be charged another day’s rent—a luxury that the present occupants were not contemplating.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
