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GRE vocabulary

ruminate

verbHigh-frequency wordMore R words

to think deeply and at length about something

Word origin: From Latin ruminari, to chew the cud.

In a sentence

Ruminate in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing ruminate in a sentence.

She spent the long train ride ruminating on her next career move.

The committee adjourned to ruminate over the proposal before committing to any single course of action.

Synonyms
pondermusecontemplatemull
Antonyms

None listed.

Usage & nuance

Using “ruminate” well

Ruminate means to think deeply and at length, often turning a matter over repeatedly. The image comes from a cow chewing cud, which underlies the sense of slow, repeated mental processing.

Common questions

Questions about “ruminate

Ruminate (verb) means to think deeply and at length about something
Here is ruminate used in an example sentence: "She spent the long train ride ruminating on her next career move." Another example: "The committee adjourned to ruminate over the proposal before committing to any single course of action."
Common synonyms for ruminate include ponder, muse, contemplate, mull.
Clusters with ponder, muse, contemplate, and mull in Sentence Equivalence. Questions typically supply a context of prolonged, careful thought.
Yes. Ruminate is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.

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