ponder
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- ponderer noun
- reponder verb (used without object)
- unpondered adjective
- well-pondered adjective
Etymology
Origin of ponder
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pondren, from Middle French ponderer, from Latin ponderāre “to weigh, reflect on,” derivative of pondus “weight”; akin to pendēre “to be suspended, hang” ( pend )
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.
In “Hard Feelings” Mr. Smith ponders how our most disagreeable emotions can serve us.
Handsome’s shouts of distress pulled Major Puff out of his deep pondering about migration.
From Literature
The 18-year-old who is about to become Britain's youngest ever Formula 1 driver is sitting on a beach in Bahrain, a Gulf mist obscuring the still-rising sun, and he's pondering a question.
From BBC
He’s even started to ponder how the movie could be expanded to fit the venue’s enormous wraparound screen à la Sphere’s theme-park-like take on “The Wizard of Oz.”
From Los Angeles Times
It left me to ponder, how do you know if you’re the Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan of curling or the next great star to revolutionize the sport?
From Los Angeles Times
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.
