ruminate

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.

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.

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

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

Is ruminate used correctly in the following sentence? 

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