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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ponder ON THESAURUS.COM

1. reflect, cogitate, deliberate, ruminate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pondering

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 pondering

Contemporary Examples of pondering

He prefers to create and leave the pondering for others to do.
The ‘Slow Web’ Movement Will Save Our Brains
Joshua Rivera
June 16, 2014
That evening I took my usual walk in Washington Park, pondering over the occurrences of the day.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Secretary of State John Kerry pondering U.S. push for independence of South South Sudan and South South South Sudan.
P.J. O’Rourke on Foreign Policy and France, Hold the Swiss
P. J. O’Rourke
January 17, 2014
These oddball questions will have you pondering life, luck, and pizza delivery men.
Can You Answer These 10 Oddball Job Interview Questions Asked at America’s Top Tech Companies?
Brian Ries
January 17, 2014
I sat on the steps leading to Damascus gate which leads to the Muslim Quarter pondering the events I had just missed.
Is This What God Had In Mind For Jerusalem Day?
Elisheva Goldberg
May 9, 2013

Historical Examples of pondering

She had been pondering over this proposal when Martin interrupted her.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
He broke a roll and munched it gloomily, pondering this revelation.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
But I could see that he was not listening only: he was pondering and reasoning upon what I told him.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
He kept his face downwards and aside, as if he were pondering and coming to no conclusion.
Wilfrid Cumbermede
George MacDonald
He rode on down the track, pondering upon all that must have occurred to him.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for pondering

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 pondering

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.