ruminate

[ roo-muh-neyt ]

verb (used without object)

, ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing.

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)

, ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing.

1. to chew again or over and over.
2. to meditate on; ponder.

ruminate

/ ˈruːmɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (of ruminants) to chew (the cud)
2. whenintr, often foll by upon, on, etc to meditate or ponder (upon)

Derived Forms

• ˈruminatively, adverb
• ˈrumiˌnator, noun
• ˌrumiˈnation, noun
• ˈruminative, adjective

Other Words From

• ru·mi·nat·ing·ly adverb
• ru·mi·na·tion [roo-m, uh, -, ney, -sh, uh, n] noun
• ru·mi·na·tive adjective
• ru·mi·na·tive·ly adverb
• ru·mi·na·tor noun
• non·ru·mi·nat·ing adjective
• non·ru·mi·nat·ing·ly adverb
• non·ru·mi·na·tive adjective
• un·ru·mi·nat·ed adjective
• un·ru·mi·nat·ing adjective
• un·ru·mi·nat·ing·ly adverb
• un·ru·mi·na·tive 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

Having always taken her work to heart in an all-consuming way, Bates has often ruminated about the unspoken emotional cost of being an actor.

From Los Angeles Times

“Afterwards you ruminate and you think, ‘What were they implying, that I was trying to be provocative?’”

From BBC

Penn State won in overtime, leaving the Trojans to ruminate on a third loss in four weeks.

From Los Angeles Times

He’s not a big planner, though he’s always ruminating about new opportunities — not to mention he’ll finally have time to take Cooper on a proper honeymoon.

From Los Angeles Times

Others ruminate over major fork-in-the-road moments, like turning down a potentially exciting career opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brainstorm
• brood
• meditate
• ponder

More About Ruminate

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.

Where does ruminate come from?

The first records of ruminate come from the 1500s. It derives from the Latin verb rūmināre, meaning “to chew the cud.” Rūmināre comes from the Latin rūmen, which gives us the English rumen—the first of four compartments in the stomach of ruminant animals. Such animals, like cows, eat grass, swallow it, and then regurgitate it and chew it some more. When the food is regurgitated to be chewed again, it’s called cud.

You can see how this process of chewing and rechewing can be used figuratively: when you ruminate on something, you think it over. In fact, the idioms chew it over and chew the cud both refer to contemplating something for a while. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Ruminating over a problem might give you a good perspective on it. But sometimes you might not be able to stop ruminating. Psychologists use the word to refer to obsessively repeating a particular thought or continuing to think about something, especially a problem, over and over instead of finding a solution or moving on.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to ruminate?

• rumination (noun)

What are some synonyms for ruminate?

• ponder
• contemplate
• meditate
• reflect
• chew

What are some words that share a root or word element with ruminate? 

 

• ruminant
• rumen

What are some words that often get used in discussing ruminate?

• think
• consider
• chew
• cow
• cud

How is ruminate used in real life?

Ruminate can be used in both positive and negative ways: it can refer to thoroughly thinking something over, or to overthinking it.

After ruminating on it for a few weeks I must say that I think The Last Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie.

I do not come to this conclusion lightly.

— Jim Lehane (@Jazinator) January 5, 2018

I stood up for myself at work and did not ruminate over it.

I said "we can talk later when you calm down." Got off the phone with said person and moved on.

Normally, I overanalyze until a melt down occurs. A big win. https://t.co/JWBQwFay6y

— LaBlaq, your favorite #ComicBookBabe 💋🌟 (@LoveAndShalom) April 2, 2020

I used to ruminate on ALL my small mistakes

After therapy, I found out how that came from being a hurt child raised without enough love and security

So I learned what I needed. How to nurture myself. And my own worth. Then the little mistakes didn't matter so much anymore

— Jesse Z Mann 🧘‍♂️🕎💜😷✊🏼 (@zookmann) March 8, 2020

 

 

Try using ruminate!

Is ruminate used correctly in the following sentence? 

My insomnia gets worse when I ruminate about all the mistakes I’ve ever made.