bethink
Americanverb (used with object)
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to think; consider (used reflexively).
He bethought himself a moment.
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to remind (oneself ).
to bethink oneself of family obligations.
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to remember; recall (used reflexively).
She lives in the past now, bethinking herself of happier days.
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to determine; resolve.
Under the circumstances I could not otherwise bethink me.
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Archaic. to bear in mind; remember.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to cause (oneself) to consider or meditate
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to remind (oneself)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bethinksimple
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bethinkssimple
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have bethoughtperfect
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has bethoughtperfect
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am bethinkingprogressive
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are bethinkingprogressive
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is bethinkingprogressive
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have been bethinkingperfect progressive
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has been bethinkingperfect progressive
Past
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bethoughtsimple
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had bethoughtperfect
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was bethinkingprogressive
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were bethinkingprogressive
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had been bethinkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bethink
before 1000; Middle English bethenken, Old English bethencan. See be-, think 1
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.
"Our message to anyone being asked to carry out activity by foreign states or even unknown entities online is to think again, because you will be caught and you will face justice."
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
Also a little grim, and precisely the kind of zinger that would lead a person to think that maybe that sad uncle at the cookout is flying solo for a very good reason.
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2026
“I want other people who lived through the ’90s to think, ‘I remember exactly where I was when I heard this song for the first time.’
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026
Yet even if the conditions for another carry-trade unwind are falling into place, there’s reason to think the fallout may be more contained than the market’s shock experience in 2024, according to analysts.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
Of course, I understand that he needs my help, even though I don’t remember promising to help the way he seems to think I did.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
