ruminate

[roo-muh-neyt]

verb (used without object)

ruminated, ruminating 

1. to meditate or muse; ponder.

   Synonyms: reflect, think

2. Psychology.,  to obsessively revisit the same thought or theme over and over again.

3. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.

verb (used with object)

ruminated, ruminating 

1. to chew again or over and over.

2. to meditate on; ponder.

ruminate

/ ˈruːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (of ruminants) to chew (the cud)

2. to meditate or ponder (upon)

Other Word Forms

• ruminatingly adverb
• rumination noun
• ruminative adjective
• ruminatively adverb
• ruminator noun
• nonruminating adjective
• nonruminatingly adverb
• nonruminative adjective
• unruminated adjective
• unruminating adjective
• unruminatingly adverb
• unruminative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruminate¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin rūminātus (past participle of rūminārī, rūmināre “to ruminate”), equivalent to rūmin- (stem of rūmen “throat, gullet”; rumen ) + -ātus past participle suffix ( -ate ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruminate¹

C16: from Latin rūmināre to chew the cud, from _rumen

Example Sentences

But with these participants with clinical depression, we actually induced them to ruminate about negative thoughts and feelings before they went on the walk.

From Los Angeles Times

“Talking about all this like ancient history makes me feel, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve kind of come a long way,’” Pickles ruminates.

From Los Angeles Times

Now that it looks like all their sweat and stress could amount to nothing, Carmy and Syd separately ruminate on the meaning of all those months of devotion and anxiety.

From Salon

Still, associating too much with the self has been linked to psychiatric disorders like depression, where the mind ruminates on the self and the body can become oppressive.

From Salon

The idea is to accept that the fear is there but to not ruminate over or attach to, it.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brainstorm 
• brood 
• meditate 
• ponder 

When To Use

What does ruminate mean?

To ruminate is to carefully think something over, ponder it, or meditate on it.It can also mean to chew over and over again, as is done by ruminant animals, like cows.In psychology, the term means to obsessively repeat thoughts or excessively think about problems.In all cases, the process of ruminating is called rumination.Example: After ruminating about it for months, I have decided to pursue a new career.