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Definition of "excogitate" [ex•cog•i•tate]

  • To consider or think (something) out carefully and thoroughly. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "excogitate" in a sentence
  • "John Forrest Dillon, a man of high intelligence, explained, in the preface to the fourth edition of his treatise on local government: No writer on our jurisprudence is authorized to speak oracularly, to excogitate a system, or to give to his views any authoritative sanction."
  • "I suppose I should have simply agreed with Ted's 5 points, moved on and not chosen TN as the forum to excogitate on what appears to be a success for Blizzard."
  • "Twice or thrice he rose from his chair, paced the room with a determined brow, and sat down again with vigorous clutch of the pen; still he failed to excogitate a single sentence that would serve his purpose."