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ponder

[pon-der]
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verb (used without object)
  1. to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate (often followed by over or upon).
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verb (used with object)
  1. to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully: He pondered his next words thoroughly.
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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

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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

considermullcontemplateevaluatedeliberatereflectexamineweighspeculatebroodcerebratefiguredaydreamdebatestudymindmoonmuseexcogitaterevolve

Examples from the Web for pondering

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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
  1. (when intr, sometimes foll by on or over) to give thorough or deep consideration (to); meditate (upon)
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Word Origin

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

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper