ruminate
verb (used without object)
to meditate or muse; ponder.
ruminated
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past participleof ruminate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof ruminate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
ruminateverb (used without object)to meditate or muse; ponder.
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.
It’s hard to believe Mr. Smith hasn’t ruminated more seriously on what he might have done differently, and maybe he’ll share that someday in a forum other than a House interrogation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
However, when the reindeer ruminated, this slow-wave activity was decreased during subsequent sleep, and the more they ruminated, the more the slow-wave activity decreased.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2023
By contrast, when people ruminated on what they had done wrong, it led to "escalated heart rate and dysregulated the parasympathetic indicator."
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2023
When a Times man asked him in 1907 why he hadn’t named his dream city for himself, he ruminated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2023
He pored over “Old Waldo” Emerson and ruminated on the philosopher’s essay on “Compensation.”
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
