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
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
While the deliberations stretched on, their patients’ risk of infection and illness grew.
—Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
To ensure a timely start to budget deliberations, council members in January voted on fiscal 2025 budget submission requirements that called on Bowser to deliver her proposal no later than Wednesday.
—Michael Brice-Saddler, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
One of the people familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations, downplayed the prospective hire.
—Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The decision came after roughly five hours of deliberations by the party’s central committee, according to two people who were at the meeting.
—Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
But only hours later, a federal appeals court blocked enforcement of the law ahead of subsequent deliberations.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
After deliberation, Danny’s was the favorite and Kenny’s was the least.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024
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
While the deliberations stretched on, their patients’ risk of infection and illness grew.
—Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2024
To ensure a timely start to budget deliberations, council members in January voted on fiscal 2025 budget submission requirements that called on Bowser to deliver her proposal no later than Wednesday.
—Michael Brice-Saddler, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024
One of the people familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations, downplayed the prospective hire.
—Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
The decision came after roughly five hours of deliberations by the party’s central committee, according to two people who were at the meeting.
—Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
But only hours later, a federal appeals court blocked enforcement of the law ahead of subsequent deliberations.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
After deliberation, Danny’s was the favorite and Kenny’s was the least.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 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 16 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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