to meditate
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to meditate
To practice a spiritual or relaxing activity in which one aims to reach a state of deep relaxation or inner focus through concentration or mindfulness exercises.
Sie meditiert jeden Morgen für zwanzig Minuten, um ruhig in den Tag zu starten.
She meditates for twenty minutes every morning to start the day calmly.
The verb 'meditieren' (to meditate) belongs to the word family of 'die Meditation' (meditation). If you know the noun, you can easily work out the meaning of the verb.
Viele Menschen lernen in Kursen, wie man richtig meditiert.
Many people learn in courses how to meditate properly.
You can recognize the meaning from the sentence structure. If 'meditieren' (to meditate) is used without a complement, it refers to the relaxation exercise. If the preposition 'über' (about/on) with the accusative follows, it means 'to think deeply'.
Ich versuche, jeden Abend vor dem Schlafen zu meditieren.
I try to meditate every evening before going to sleep.
In the spiritual meaning, 'meditieren' (to meditate) is often combined with time expressions to describe the duration or regularity of the practice. Typical phrases are 'täglich meditieren' (to meditate daily), 'regelmäßig meditieren' (to meditate regularly), or 'für 10 Minuten meditieren' (to meditate for 10 minutes).
Er meditiert regelmäßig, um Stress abzubauen.
He meditates regularly to reduce stress.
The figurative meaning 'über etwas nachdenken' (to think about something) is elevated and is used mainly in written language or in very formal contexts. It is rare in everyday speech.
In seinem Tagebuch meditierte er über die politischen Ereignisse.
In his diary, he meditated on the political events.
to consider
'überlegen' and 'meditieren' can both have to do with thinking for a longer time, but they fit different situations. 'überlegen' is the normal word when you want to make a decision or find a solution. 'meditieren' usually means a calm exercise for concentration and relaxation. Only in elevated or figurative language can it also mean thinking deeply and at length about something. Learners may confuse the words because both can feel inward and calm. In everyday life, 'überlegen' is almost always more natural for decisions.
Nach dem Gespräch meditiert sie zehn Minuten, um wieder ruhig zu werden.
After the conversation, she meditates for ten minutes to calm down again.
In der Pause überlegt Tom, ob er vor der Reise noch eine neue Tasche kaufen soll.
During the break, Tom considers whether he should buy a new bag before the trip.