Definition of "premeditate" [pre•med•i•tate]

• To plan, arrange, or plot (a crime, for example) in advance. (verb-transitive)
• To reflect, ponder, or deliberate beforehand. (verb-intransitive)

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.

• "Men in these cases made the decision to commit murder, and in many cases, it was premeditate, meaning they thought long and hard of what they intended to do, and planned their courses of action."
• "Setting back the cause of the mentally ill despite his legislative good deeds, Patrick Kennedy seemed to be making an excuse for those who premeditate murderous rampages."
• "Maddy Cohan always managed to make him self-conscious, causing him to premeditate every reaction to her, even simple gestures of greeting."