to brood over
3
6.7
- phrasal verb
- /bruːd ˈoʊvər/
:
rumiar
- Don't brood over what's past.
Examples
-
Patrick, in true Pinch style, brooded over it for weeks.
Fiction book (1997) -
I had been brooding over the stern letter from my father.
Fiction book (1995) -
But we have no time to brood over it.
-
I was brooding over the issue.
Academic text (2016) -
Nothing was to be gained by brooding over it.
Fiction book (1992) -
As late as the night before graduation, Patrick was still brooding over the speech.
Fiction book (1997) -
You've got to stop brooding over it, Mrs Poster.
-
Instead, he compounds his situation by brooding over his defeat and by fleeing one confrontation after another.
Academic text (1997) -
Nestled nearby in her recliner, Anna brooded over what Krueger had said in his office.
Fiction book (1998) -
On the drive from California to Kansas, Fiona had brooded over that first meeting for miles on end.
Synonyms
∞
2.0
Feel afraid about what might happen to someone or something
304
5.5
To think about something so much that it makes you worried
186
4.8
To think deeply about something for a long time
134
4.3
Think carefully for a long time about something
68
4.7
To think about something for a long time, usually with worry or sadness
53
5.2
To think or talk a lot about something upsetting
36
4.7
Think carefully for a long time before making a decision
33
4.9
To think about something too much so you cannot decide or act
28
6.1
To think about something in a sad, worried way
26
6.0
Think too much about something so you feel unhappy
22
5.5
To worry a lot about something and have trouble deciding
19
4.0
To think carefully about something before deciding
10
7.6
To think carefully about something for a long time
3
4.1
To think about or talk about something carefully for a long time
1
4.1
To think carefully about something for a long time
1
6.3
A state of worrying about something for a long time
Antonyms
How Brooding
26
6.0
3
6.7
∞
2.0
∞
1.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'brood' already means 'dwell anxiously or repeatedly' and the particle 'over' marks the topic or object of that thinking, so the combined sense 'to think deeply and anxiously about (something)' is directly derivable from the constituents. This verb+over composition matches common English patterns (e.g. 'mull over', 'think over') and is cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should understand the MWE.
Etymology
Brood over comes from how birds brood: they sit quietly over their eggs to keep them warm and watch them closely. So, to brood over something means to 'think a lot' or 'worry' about it for a long time.