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 (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 comes from and shares the meanings of the Latin verb ruminari (“to chew the cud” or “muse upon”), which in turn comes from rumen, the Latin name for the first stomach compartment of ruminant animals (that is, creatures like cows that chew their cud).
Examples of ruminate in a Sentence
Gary Graff, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2025
Saint Levant has been ruminating on his identity lately.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
As the dog lazed in the dirt in Shelby Park, one guardsman ruminated about new missions to alleviate the boredom.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
The scientific community has long ruminated on the idea that dogs are capable of judging human character.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruminate
Cite this Entry
“Ruminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruminate. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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ruminate
verb
Medical Definition
ruminate
intransitive verb
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