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.
“I wonder if the Ancient Mariner in his latter days got really tired of rehearsing his old trauma,” she ruminated in an essay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Models ruminated about their next plate of pasta, distracted themselves from inopportune itches, and wondered over the sense of fashion amid wars.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
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
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
"Job ought to be easy enough," he ruminated.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
