ruminate
verb
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When you ruminate, you chew something over, either literally or figuratively. Literal rumination may seem a little gross to humans, but to cows, chewing your cud (that's partially digested food brought up from the stomach for another chew) is just a natural part of life. Figurative ruminating is much more palatable to humans; that kind of deep, meditative thought is often deemed quite a worthy activity. The verb ruminate has described metaphorical chewing over since the early 1500s and actual chewing since later that same century. Our English word derives from and shares the meanings of the Latin ruminari, which in turn derives from rumen, the Latin name for the first stomach compartment of ruminant animals (that is, creatures like cows that chew their cud).
Synonyms
Examples of ruminate in a Sentence
Katie Campione, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2024
Kreese is hell-bent on his goal to get to the Sekai Taikai with Cobra Kai, and that feels like a long, ruminating ambition for him.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 20 July 2024
Positive self-talk is the antidote to chatter, or a ruminating cycle of negative thoughts that can hinder your performance whether on the Olympic stage, at work or in everyday life, says Kross, who holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.
—Megan Sauer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2024
There’s no sense in ruminating on things or people that are unavailable to you in the present moment.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruminate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ruminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruminate. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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ruminate
verb
Medical Definition
ruminate
intransitive verb
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