Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

mulling

1 American  
[muhl-ing] / ˈmʌl ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of reflecting or ruminating carefully on something (often followed byover ).

    After reading that book on simplifying life, I’ve been doing some heavy mulling and pondering.

adjective

  1. reflecting or ruminating carefully on something.

    News hound, artist, analyst, or mulling philosopher—all will find this man’s story an unparalleled feast.
mulling 2 American  
[muhl-ing] / ˈmʌl ɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or process of heating wine, cider, ale, etc., sweetening it, and flavoring it with spices.

    Their gourmet spice blends carry the strong flavor needed for the mulling of wines, ciders, or juices.

Etymology

Origin of mulling1

First recorded in 1885–90; mull 1 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun; mull 1 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective

Origin of mulling2

mull 2 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )

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.

Every president treats the State of the Union as a chance to highlight their wins, less a venue for mulling over controversies or losses.

From Los Angeles Times

Downing Street is mulling the idea of meeting an existing spending target earlier than planned at a potential cost of billions of pounds.

From BBC

The company currently uses Nvidia chips for its autonomous-driving system, but is mulling other options to keep lowering expenses and find the best fit for its algorithm, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Citing anonymous sources, the Financial Times reported Wednesday that Kyiv was mulling the possibility of staging a presidential election within the next three months.

From Barron's

Brussels is mulling an EU-wide ban after pressure from member states but first wants to hear from an expert panel currently being set up.

From Barron's

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.