{
    "term": "contemplate",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "contemplate",
            "heSheIt": "contemplates"
        },
        "pastSimple": "contemplated",
        "pastParticiple": "contemplated",
        "ingForm": "contemplating"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to think about whether you should do something, or how you should do something",
            "sensetop": "contemplate somethingcontemplate doing somethingcontemplate how/what, etc…",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You're too young to be contemplating retirement.",
                    "contextForm": "contemplate something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I have never contemplated living abroad.",
                    "contextForm": "contemplate doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He continued while she contemplated how to answer.",
                    "contextForm": "contemplate how/what, etc…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Are you willing to contemplate retraining?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was very depressed and even contemplated suicide."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She contemplated a change of direction in her life"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was seriously contemplating moving to Mexico."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was seriously contemplating working abroad."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We're contemplating the possibility of moving house."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He's only 55, but he's already contemplating retirement."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "consider, think about/of",
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["seriously", "even"],
                "verb + contemplate": ["be prepared to", "be willing to", "cannot"],
                "phrases": ["too awful to contemplate", "too horrible to contemplate"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to think carefully about and accept the possibility of something happening",
            "sensetop": "contemplate somethingcontemplate how/what, etc…contemplate that…",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The thought of war is too awful to contemplate.",
                    "contextForm": "contemplate something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "How could you even contemplate such an idea?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I can't contemplate what it would be like to be alone.",
                    "contextForm": "contemplate how/what, etc…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She contemplated that things might get even worse.",
                    "contextForm": "contemplate that…"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["seriously", "even"],
                "verb + contemplate": ["be prepared to", "be willing to", "cannot"],
                "phrases": ["too awful to contemplate", "too horrible to contemplate"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to think deeply about something for a long time",
            "sensetop": "contemplate (something)",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to contemplate your future"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She lay in bed, contemplating."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["seriously", "even"],
                "verb + contemplate": ["be prepared to", "be willing to", "cannot"],
                "phrases": ["too awful to contemplate", "too horrible to contemplate"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to look at somebody/something in a careful way for a long time",
            "sensetop": "contemplate somebody/something",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She contemplated him in silence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He sat there, contemplating his fingernails."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "stare at"
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɒntəmpleɪt/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplate__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɒntəmpleɪts/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplates__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɒntəmpleɪtɪd/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplated__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɒntəmpleɪtɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplating__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɑːntəmpleɪt/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplate__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɑːntəmpleɪts/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplates__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɑːntəmpleɪtɪd/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplated__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɑːntəmpleɪtɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/contemplate/xcontemplating__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late 16th cent.: from Latin contemplat- ‘surveyed, observed, contemplated’, from the verb contemplari, based on templum ‘place for observation’."
}