deliberation
noun
de·lib·er·a·tion
di-ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən 
1
a
: the act of thinking about or discussing something and deciding carefully : the act of deliberating
After careful deliberation, he decided to study medicine rather than law.
b
: a discussion and consideration by a group of persons (such as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for and against a measure
The jury returned a verdict after a four-hour deliberation.
2
: the quality or state of being deliberate
spoke with clarity and deliberation
worked with deliberation on the painting
Synonyms
Examples of deliberation in a Sentence
After hours of deliberation, the council came to a decision.
Jury deliberations lasted two days.
She spoke to the audience with clarity and deliberation.
Recent Examples on the Web
After more than 15 hours of deliberation, Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Thomas Fink declared a mistrial just after 4:30 p.m.
—
Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The United States is considering imposing sanctions on one or more Israeli battalions accused of human rights violations during operations in the occupied West Bank, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.
—Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
After about three and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found Lawyer guilty in the deaths of O’Tishae and Ka’Myria Womack in the victims’ apartment.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
With calm dignity, determination, and grace, Lee successfully led deliberations to legally protect biodiversity within the blue heart of the planet, the cornerstone of earth’s life-support system.
—Sylvia Earle, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
She was later convicted by a jury after two hours of deliberations.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The House had passed its version just days before, and the Senate began its deliberations.
—Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2024
One set of likely candidates for deliberation are three competing constitutional amendments involving voting requirements for taxes.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
After a deliberation lasting less than two hours, the jury found Kwon and Terraform liable on civil fraud charges related to making false claims and misleading investors in Terraform’s cryptotoken.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024
The United States is considering imposing sanctions on one or more Israeli battalions accused of human rights violations during operations in the occupied West Bank, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.
—Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
After about three and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found Lawyer guilty in the deaths of O’Tishae and Ka’Myria Womack in the victims’ apartment.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
With calm dignity, determination, and grace, Lee successfully led deliberations to legally protect biodiversity within the blue heart of the planet, the cornerstone of earth’s life-support system.
—Sylvia Earle, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
She was later convicted by a jury after two hours of deliberations.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The House had passed its version just days before, and the Senate began its deliberations.
—Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2024
One set of likely candidates for deliberation are three competing constitutional amendments involving voting requirements for taxes.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
After a deliberation lasting less than two hours, the jury found Kwon and Terraform liable on civil fraud charges related to making false claims and misleading investors in Terraform’s cryptotoken.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deliberation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deliberation
Cite this Entry
“Deliberation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deliberation. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deliberation
noun
de·lib·er·a·tion
di-ˌlib-ə-ˈrā-shən
1
: the act of deliberating
2
: a discussion and consideration of the reasons for and against something
3
: the quality of being deliberate : deliberateness
Legal Definition
deliberation
noun
de·lib·er·a·tion
di-ˌli-bə-ˈrā-shən
1
a
: the act of deliberating compare premeditation
b
: a discussion and consideration by a group of persons (as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for or against a measure
2
: the quality or state of being deliberate
killing with deliberation
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