How to Use ponder in a Sentence

ponder

verb
  • The team pondered their chances of success.
  • We pondered whether we could afford the trip.
  • He pondered the question before he answered.
  • That might not be the time to ponder such things!
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Here are some thoughts to ponder while the boots dry.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Kerr, though, was in no mood to ponder such things.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
  • But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
    — Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2019
  • The least likely to ponder a change?
    — Lisa Chambers, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • But here are three to ponder while spring practice rolls on.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
  • He is left in the street, alone, to ponder his choices.
    — Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Just her Chevy and time to ponder how things went so wrong so fast.
    — Forrest Brown, CNN, 30 Oct. 2021
  • Moe pondered this for half a second.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The Rams will be at home pondering what might have been.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
  • All James has now is a few weeks to think, a few weeks to ponder his next move.
    — Tim Reynolds, Houston Chronicle, 9 June 2018
  • But four of them opted to take a gap year and ponder their options.
    — Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Apr. 2021
  • Well, that surely gives fans a lot to ponder, and fight over, for the next few months.
    — Wired, 21 Oct. 2019
  • Welcome this chance to go off by yourself and ponder your world.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2025
  • And so Clarissa does not ponder her past so much as move through it.
    — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025
  • But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
    — Houston Chronicle, 24 Dec. 2017
  • Take the time to ponder and define your unique values and write them down.
    — Joe Hart, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2023
  • Then stop and ponder just what dogs would be doing in the middle of nowhere.
    — Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2020
  • So here’s a good question to ponder on this warm, summer day.
    — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 7 Aug. 2021
  • There is more to ponder, in this uncommon movie, than there is to plumb.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2020
  • The Sharks could have a lot to think about – or nothing to ponder at all.
    — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 20 May 2025
  • These seem like far-out problems, but now is the time to start pondering them.
    — Matt Simon, WIRED, 17 May 2018
  • Aside from the grandeur of that ale, there is something much bigger to ponder here.
    — Eli Amdur, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Harsin pondered aloud if the refs could work around the action, but said the issue does need to be fixed.
    — Dave Southorn and Rachel Roberts, idahostatesman, 4 Nov. 2017
  • The regime and countries in the West are now pondering their next steps.
    — The Economist, 11 Jan. 2018
  • The nine-member panel is far from the first to ponder such questions.
    — Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2021
  • Fans took to the comments to both praise and ponder Trainor's new look.
    — Tracy Wright, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ponder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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