ruminate
gb/ɹˈumɪnˌeɪt/ us/ɹˈumɪnˌeɪt/
C1
English
töpreng, rágódik, kérődzik
VERB
C1
FORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
ruminate (on/over) [something]
After the meeting, he went for a walk to ruminate on the feedback.
Az értekezlet után elment sétálni, hogy eltöprengjen a visszajelzésen.
She kept ruminating over her reply and ended up sending nothing.
Folyton a válaszán rágódott, és végül semmit sem küldött el.
It’s easy to ruminate on past mistakes, but it rarely helps.
Learner examples
I ruminated on my choices all night.
Egész éjjel a döntéseimen töprengtem.
Try not to ruminate over small problems.
Próbálj meg nem rágódni apró problémákon.
Common mistake:
Don’t use it for quick decisions; it usually implies long, repeated thinking.
Meaning
think deeply for a long time
Collocations
ruminate on the past
|ruminate on a decision
|ruminate over a problem
|ruminate on what happened
|sit and ruminate
|lie awake ruminating
|quietly ruminate
|ruminate endlessly
|ruminate at length
|ruminate about mistakes
Synonyms
ponder (Neutral and fairly formal; focuses on careful thought.)
|
mull over (More conversational; suggests thinking something over repeatedly.)
|
reflect (Often calmer and less stuck than ruminate.)
|
brood (More negative; suggests gloomy, obsessive thinking.)
Antonyms
dismiss (To decide something is not worth thinking about further.)
|
forget (To stop thinking about it altogether.)
Themes
thinking
|emotions
|mental_processes
Definition
to think about something deeply for a long time
To think carefully and for a long time about something, often turning it over repeatedly in your mind.
VERB
C2
TECHNICAL
2
kérődzik
B2
Usage pattern:
[animal] ruminates
Cows often ruminate for hours each day.
A tehenek gyakran naponta órákon át kérődznek.
You can see the sheep ruminating quietly in the pasture.
Láthatod, ahogy a juhok csendben kérődznek a legelőn.
Deer may ruminate in a safe spot after feeding.
Learner examples
Cows ruminate after they eat.
A tehenek evés után kérődznek.
Common mistake:
In everyday English, this meaning is much less common than the “think deeply” meaning.
Meaning
chew cud (as some animals do)
Collocations
ruminating animals
|cows ruminate
|sheep ruminate
|ruminate for hours
|stand ruminating
|ruminate in the field
Synonyms
chew the cud (Common phrase for the same animal behavior.)
Antonyms
swallow (Opposite action of chewing; not bringing food back up to chew again.)
Themes
animals
|biology
|food
Definition
(of some animals) to chew food again after swallowing it
(Of cattle, sheep, and similar animals) to bring partly digested food back up from the stomach and chew it again.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ruminate
IPA
GB/ɹˈumɪnˌeɪt/
US/ɹˈumɪnˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
ru - min - ate (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (ru)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: ruminate
- 3rd Person Singular: ruminates
- Present Participle: ruminating
- Past: ruminated
Expressions
ruminate on [something]
1/ɹˈumɪnˌeɪt ˈɔn sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
think carefully about something
to think about something deeply for a long time
Examples
- She ruminated on his comment all weekend.
- He sat by the window, ruminating on his next move.
Learner examples
- I ruminated on my exam results.
ruminate over [something]
1/ɹˈumɪnˌeɪt ˈoʊvɚ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
turn something over in your mind
to keep thinking about something again and again
Examples
- They ruminated over the offer before accepting it.
- I spent the whole train ride ruminating over the conversation.
Learner examples
- She ruminated over the decision.