as in contemplating
to give serious and careful thought to
I'm pondering whether or not I should join another committee
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as in contemplation
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Recent Examples of pondering
Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Turns out Stephano was pondering beltmaking too, leading the two to partner on a new business venture creating small-batch leather pieces and metal accessories.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
That's when the longtime friends with search backgrounds began pondering how AI had changed the search industry, as publishers today are forced to compete with AI outputs referencing their own content as search traffic nosedives.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
In the eyes of many fans, discussions about musical quality have given way to conversations about who snitched; pondering an artist’s potential has been replaced by RICO speculation.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Also pondering shellfish, the German philosopher Carl du Prel insisted in 1885 that, in the wake of Darwin’s discoveries, people can no longer assume humans represent consciousness’s culmination in the Universe.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
There are some key wording aspects in this Section 7 that are worth pondering.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
That additional round of CFP competition has the working group pondering whether the regular season should start earlier, on the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend?
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Several blue states are pondering responses to Texas to even the redistricting score.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
The Revival Act has left some pondering what the endgame looks like for Zuffa.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Turns out Stephano was pondering beltmaking too, leading the two to partner on a new business venture creating small-batch leather pieces and metal accessories.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
That's when the longtime friends with search backgrounds began pondering how AI had changed the search industry, as publishers today are forced to compete with AI outputs referencing their own content as search traffic nosedives.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025
In the eyes of many fans, discussions about musical quality have given way to conversations about who snitched; pondering an artist’s potential has been replaced by RICO speculation.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Also pondering shellfish, the German philosopher Carl du Prel insisted in 1885 that, in the wake of Darwin’s discoveries, people can no longer assume humans represent consciousness’s culmination in the Universe.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
There are some key wording aspects in this Section 7 that are worth pondering.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
That additional round of CFP competition has the working group pondering whether the regular season should start earlier, on the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend?
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Several blue states are pondering responses to Texas to even the redistricting score.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pondering
Verb
-
When the San Francisco 49ers were contemplating drafting Mac Jones in 2021, the then-Alabama quarterback might have daydreamed about running an offense that included George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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While vocal over the years about his aversion to sell, take on a business partner or publicly list the company, rumors about Armani contemplating forming a foundation first emerged in 2012.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After some contemplation, Belly decides that putting her heart on the line (again) for Conrad, who is now en route to Brussels, is worth the risk.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The genre invites focus and contemplation, and its structure is balanced with improvisation, which creates a sense of flow and impermanence.—
Anna Haines,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Even the assassination of political figures is not the same thing as just being shot in the throat for the crime of debating issues in the public square.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2025
-
If your current TikTok feed is full of Gen-Z and millennial users debating short nails verses long-almond nail shape nails, rest assured that burgundy nails work with either camp.—
Jamie Wilson,
Glamour,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Here, though, the research team is trying to model people’s thoughts on financial policy, which is why the enumerated outcomes include initial rate recommendations, made up of a preferred policy rate, a confidence score, and a summary.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Lauren, 40, then chimed in with her own thoughts on what makes their relationship work after all these years.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Both Delta and Aeromexico said in separate statements that the carriers were disappointed by the department's decision and were reviewing the order before considering next steps.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Interestingly, this percentage increases to 45% when considering data from the last 3 years instead of 5.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Additionally, self-help podcasts grew by 35% between 2019 and 2022 and apps also reflect shifting habits, with 70% of users preferring mindfulness and meditation tools.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Meanwhile, my attempts to live in the moment, even those abetted by meditation, have felt squishy, uncertain, and evasive.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To create the new surface—which the FDA categorizes differently from other breast implants on the market—Motiva partnered with scientists studying nanotechnology’s role in breast implant surface design at the University of Manchester in England.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Acting was a career shift for Tillman, who was a pre-med student in college studying to be an orthopedic surgeon.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With tuition at some universities now topping $100,000 a year, ROI has become a central consideration, even among high-earning households.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
There are domestic political considerations for Nvidia, too.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pondering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pondering. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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