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.

---

meditation British  

/ ˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of meditating; contemplation; reflection

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• meditations
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of meditation

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

---

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

The Oscars’ best picture field now routinely includes two international movies, and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s dreamlike meditation on mortality and human connection feels like a sure bet to make the cut.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

This singular film is a free-form meditation on the undiscovered country behind every set of eyes, even two as aligned as those of Elisabet and Alma.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Cramer, I knew, believed in the healing power of meditation.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

In this case, the “fragment” was “The Unanswered Question,” Ives’s haunting meditation on existence, with a questing trumpet at its center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

He slipped off his sandals and walked up the steps, then paused, knowing that he shouldn't disturb his teacher in the middle of his meditation.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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

Both “WandaVision” and “Agatha” were meditations on grief, trauma and motherhood, by way of sitcoms and magical escape rooms, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

The regrets and meditations, however, did not spread as far as Aaron Burr.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• introspection
• reflection
• rumination
• self-examination

---