ponder

[pon-der]

See more synonyms for ponder on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate (often followed by over or upon).

verb (used with object)

to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully: He pondered his next words thoroughly.

Origin of ponder

1300–50; Middle English pondren < Middle French ponderer < Latin ponderāre to ponder, weigh; akin to pendēre to be suspended, hang (see pend)

Related formspon·der·er, nounre·pon·der, verb (used without object)un·pon·dered, adjectivewell-pon·dered, adjective

Synonyms for ponder

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1. reflect, cogitate, deliberate, ruminate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ponder

consider, mull, contemplate, evaluate, deliberate, reflect, examine, weigh, speculate, brood, cerebrate, figure, daydream, debate, study, mind, moon, muse, excogitate, revolve

Examples from the Web for ponder

Contemporary Examples of ponder

He said he uses the quiet time at night to ponder a move to Puerto Rico or maybe Hawaii.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.
David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News
December 9, 2014
Now that we have gotten over these multifarious horribles, we are obliged to ponder the bigger picture.
Gay Marriage Vs. the First Amendment
James Poulos
August 22, 2014
Finally, ponder exactly how Maher will make his final choice of congresscritter.
Bill Maher’s Plan To Defeat One Lousy Congressman Is Good for (Almost) Everyone
James Poulos
February 16, 2014
Gone are the working-man dive bars where Joyce would binge drink and ponder his literary hardship.
Exploring the Darker Side of James Joyce’s Trieste
Jeff Campagna
January 13, 2014
No wonder Kerry said he had a lot to ponder before going to bed.
Egypt’s Arab Spring Gives Way To Spring Of The Patriarch
Christopher Dickey
January 10, 2014

Historical Examples of ponder

Let them ponder on the probability of succeeding with the people.
Sunday under Three Heads
Charles Dickens
As I eat my breakfast and smoke my pipe, I ponder over my task.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
There was so much time for the Little Girl who should have been a Boy to ponder over it.
The Very Small Person
Annie Hamilton Donnell
He's always in a ponder, ponder, with his mouth open—except when he's grindin' his teeth.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
But Asad continued to ponder him with cold eyes, his face inscrutable.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for ponder

ponder

verb

(when intr, sometimes foll by on or over) to give thorough or deep consideration (to); meditate (upon)

Word Origin for ponder

C14: from Old French ponderer, from Latin ponderāre to weigh, consider, from pondus weight; related to pendere to weigh

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ponder

early 14c., "to estimate the worth of, to appraise," from Old French ponderer "to weigh, poise" (14c., Modern French pondérer) and directly from Latin ponderare "ponder, consider, reflect," literally "to weigh," from pondus (genitive ponderis) "weigh" (see pound (n.1)). Meaning "to weigh a matter mentally" is attested from late 14c. Related: Pondered; pondering; ponderation.