contemplate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully.
to contemplate the stars.
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to consider thoroughly; think fully or deeply about.
to contemplate a difficult problem.
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to have as a purpose; intend.
The District Attorney's office does not contemplate any charges.
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to have in view as a future event.
to contemplate buying a new car.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to think about intently and at length; consider calmly
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(intr) to think intently and at length, esp for spiritual reasons; meditate
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to look at thoughtfully; observe pensively
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to have in mind as a possibility
to contemplate changing jobs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contemplatesimple
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contemplatessimple
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have contemplatedperfect
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has contemplatedperfect
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am contemplatingprogressive
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are contemplatingprogressive
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is contemplatingprogressive
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have been contemplatingperfect progressive
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has been contemplatingperfect progressive
Past
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contemplatedsimple
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had contemplatedperfect
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was contemplatingprogressive
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were contemplatingprogressive
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had been contemplatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contemplate
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin contemplātus, past participle of contemplāre, contemplārī “to survey, observe,” equivalent to con- “with, together” + templ(um) “space marked off for augural observation” + -ātus past participle suffix; see origin at con-, temple 1, -ate 1
Explanation
Before you accept a job offer, or a college's offer of admission, you should take time to contemplate the pros and cons of your decision. If you contemplate something, you think about it carefully. Contemplate is from Latin contemplatus, past participle of contemplari "to gaze attentively, observe," from the prefix com- "together" plus templum "temple." The original meaning of Latin contemplari was "to mark out a space for observing auguries or omens," and the temple was a holy space reserved for this purpose.
Vocabulary lists containing contemplate
Of Mice and Men
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List 5
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Dahlia Lithwick: The decision in Slaughter will have knock-on effects that most people probably haven’t even begun to contemplate.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Eschewing grander historical parallels, Vaez calls the current situation a "plastic moment", pregnant with possibility as old adversaries contemplate a different set of relationships.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
They were some 40 leading thinkers in economics, technology and public policy, and they had come to the Peterson Institute for International Economics to contemplate a vision of U.S. society in 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The losses come as investors contemplate a coming IPO by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is aiming to raise $75 billion in the biggest initial public offering ever.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
I contemplate asking to switch uniform skirts with her since hers is too short and mine is so long.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
As the seventh generation of his family to fish for eels on Lough Neagh, he gets emotional when he contemplates the future.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Meanwhile, Sam Adams contemplates the film’s ending, arguing that Nolan’s final plot twist changes the meaning of the whole story.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Rather than treating disparate impact as an evidentiary mechanism to smoke out intentional discrimination,” the EEOC’s historical approach contemplates “liability based on disproportionately adverse effects alone,” the OLC opinion explains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
When asked if he sees himself as Ruben, Gadd contemplates the question, debating whether it’s his “jetlagged brain” or ambivalence about finding some of Ruben within him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
The elfin nun from Santo Domingo is crazy about saints, often identifying the holy ones long before the Vatican even contemplates their canonization.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Nike last week said its results would get a lift from tariff refunds that were “not contemplated in the company’s previously provided guidance.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
At the rapidly expanding AI on the Lot conference in Culver City, the “Taxi Driver” scripter mixed provocation and unease as he contemplated Hollywood’s future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Imagine, for a moment, if former Vice President Kamala Harris had jumped into the governor’s race, as contemplated.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
At times, Joshua contemplated quitting, but the idea never felt practical.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
As I contemplated all this grandeur, an enormous motorcar rumbled through the western gate and the men sitting in the shade immediately arose.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The Times spoke with the heads of four of these nonprofits, all who said they feel like they’re flying blind and are contemplating cuts to services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
This man, meanwhile, is contemplating waiting so that his wife will get a higher amount through survivor benefits in the event he dies before she does.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
OpenAI and Anthropic are contemplating a price war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Maxine is, after all, also an artist, trying to preserve her relationship with her children while going through a divorce, contemplating just how honest to be as she works through her mind’s frenzied state.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Shut up over there,” Miss Annie screamed through her shutters as Ignatius gathered his smock about him and swept into the hall contemplating his most important problem: organizing a new assault against the minx’s effrontery.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
