premeditate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Related Words
See deliberate.
Other Word Forms
- premeditatedly adverb
- premeditative adjective
- premeditator noun
Etymology
Origin of premeditate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin praemeditātus, past participle of praemeditārī “to contemplate in advance”; pre-, meditate
Explanation
When you premeditate, you are planning ahead. While most people associate this word with crime, let's hope you can think of a better reason to premeditate — like buying groceries before a storm. When you meditate, you think deeply. The prefix pre- means “before,” so to premeditate means to think about a situation before you’ve jumped into it. If you’ve ever cooked a meal, you’ve premeditated the ingredients you need to get started. In a courtroom you’ll hear about "premeditated murder," which means the accused killer planned out his crime and it wasn’t a crime of passion. Premeditating can be a good thing, but not when it involves murder.
Vocabulary lists containing premeditate
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.
But defense attorney Tom Jacquinot said in his opening statement that the evidence will show Vrba did not premeditate to kill Steinfeld, who was his friend.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2020
Derek was into discovering things that you couldn’t premeditate.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2020
"At no time did I premeditate interfering with anyone," said Maragh, whose mount finished last in the field of 12.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2011
When I decide to make a movie, I don't premeditate it.
From The Guardian • Jan. 23, 2011
Pug, however, like the lords of creation, was up to deceit, and practised pretended kindness to his spouse, to effect a diabolical scheme, which he seemed to premeditate.
From Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom by Goodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)
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.
