meditation

American  

[med-i-tey-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

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

“Hiking is a walking meditation, a way to carry everything we need,” my mom told me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Under the Falls,” Richard Russo’s first full-blown thriller in his 40-year career, doesn’t start with a shocking murder, but a three-page meditation on the Adirondack Mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The similarities observed in the meditation study do not mean that meditation and psychedelic drugs produce identical effects.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

It can be "necessity for the poor, meditation for some, an act of resistance for others and a path to discovery. Walking, they noted, also helped shape India's freedom struggle".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

There were posters of various Hindu gods on the wall, many in states of meditation.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

It’s a welcome sequel to its predecessor that shares many of its sonic characteristics while shifting from thoughts on a difficult past to meditations on mortality shot through with gratitude and wisdom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

The chatbot is bundled inside Bernstein’s coaching app, which costs $199 annually and includes access to daily affirmations and coaching practices, meditations and her challenge programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

The judges called it "an intimate and expansive epic about two people finding a pathway to love and each other", adding: "Rich in meditations about class, race and nationhood, this book has it all."

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025

The half-pleasant quality went out of his meditations.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

• introspection
• reflection
• rumination
• self-examination