MEANING
To consider something thoughtfully and at length.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- ponder a question
- ponder the consequences
On the page
She pondered the question after the room had emptied.
He had pondered the consequences without imagining their smallest details.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- ponder
- Past tense
- pondered
- Past participle
- pondered
- Present participle
- pondering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- ponder
- Present continuous
- am/is/are pondering
- Present perfect
- have/has pondered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been pondering
- Past
- pondered
- Past continuous
- was/were pondering
- Past perfect
- had pondered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been pondering
- Future
- will ponder
- Future continuous
- will be pondering
- Future perfect
- will have pondered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been pondering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: ponder; ponders; pondered; pondered; pondering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: ponders.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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