Skip to main content
to meditate

to meditate

104 4.4
To sit quietly and focus your mind to relax or think deeply
  • verb
  • /ˈmɛdɪˌteɪt/
translation icon : meditar
  • She prefers to meditate in a peaceful garden to find her inner calm.
  • learn to meditate
  • meditate together
  • meditate on death

I'm going to wake up, stretch, meditate, and then crown a winner.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • In addition to teaching and writing about the journey, I find myself meditating on karma.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Afterward, Billy went into his room to meditate, and Holly and I took care of the customers.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I learned to meditate very many years ago.

  • And I would say I probably meditate five days a week.

  • Perhaps we should all meditate for a moment.

  • Go within yourself and meditate on each breath.

  • Perhaps we should meditate upon it, Spike, for it is said that when seeking answers, one must... quiet the soul in order to hear them.

  • Is this reason enough to engage in traditional religious practices and to meditate on canonical religious books?

    Academic text (1990)
  • And I literally began learning how to meditate on Carla's suggestions.

  • And we were gonna be one of those couples who meditate every single day and tell people about it because that is what people do in Los Angeles.

Synonyms

to reflect
vsto meditate
265 3.9

To think carefully about something before making a decision

is less analytical and more about calm focused inner attention
to contemplate
vsto meditate
186 4.8

To think deeply about something for a long time

is more about calm mental focus for relaxation or spiritual aims
to ponder
vsto meditate
134 4.3

Think carefully for a long time about something

is aimed more at calm restful focus for inner peace or spiritual thought
to study
vsto meditate
63 7.3

To think quietly and deeply about life or ideas

is the same calm, focused practice for relaxation and inner reflection
to mull
vsto meditate
36 4.7

Think carefully for a long time before making a decision

is gentler and aims at calm, not mainly to reach a decision
to muse
vsto meditate
35 6.1

To think about something carefully for a long time

is the focused quiet practice used for relaxation and spiritual calm
to mull over
vsto meditate
19 4.0

To think carefully about something before deciding

is calmer and less decision oriented, focusing on relaxation or spiritual thought
to ruminate
vsto meditate
10 7.6

To think carefully about something for a long time

is quieter and more calm, used for relaxation and spiritual reflection
to think over
vsto meditate
8 3.0

To look at something carefully before deciding

is focused on calm reflection or spiritual practice rather than choice making
to chew over
vsto meditate
  • Informal
3 4.1

To think about or talk about something carefully for a long time

is done alone and calmly for inner reflection rather than debate
to clear someone's mind
vsto meditate
1 3.7

To stop worrying and think calmly to focus

is more sustained calm focus for relaxation or spiritual deep thinking

Antonyms

513 2.1

To make someone stop paying attention to what they are doing or thinking about

How Deeply

to ruminate
10 7.6
to contemplate
186 4.8
to meditate
104 4.4
to reflect
265 3.9
to think
1.0

Surface Forms

meditate infinitive
meditated past
meditated past participle
meditating present participle
meditates third person singular

Morphology

meditate = medit (opaque) = medit + ate

The root 'medit' is not a standalone English word, making the derivation less transparent.

Etymology

The word meditate comes from the Latin meditari, which meant 'to think over' or 'practice'. Think of it as quietly 'training' your mind, so to meditate today means to calm and focus your thoughts on purpose.