ponder
[ pon-der ]
/ ˈpɒn dər /
Save This Word!
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.
OTHER WORDS FOR ponder
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
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)
OTHER WORDS FROM ponder
pon·der·er, nounre·pon·der, verb (used without object)un·pon·dered, adjectivewell-pondered, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use ponder in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ponder
ponder
/ (ˈpɒndə) /
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