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
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
The decision, which comes more than a month after the Season 3 finale was released April 17, followed lengthy deliberations.
—
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 May 2025
The reconciliation bill will first need to be voted out of the House Rules Committee, which began deliberations at 1 a.m.
Republicans can only afford to lose three members for the bill to pass the full House.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 21 May 2025
That differs from a jury trial, where jurors come back from deliberations and provide a verdict, but no explanation.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 20 May 2025
The Trump administration has invoked the state secrets privilege in the case, saying disclosure of internal deliberations could harm U.S. foreign policy.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deliberation
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Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 May 2025
The reconciliation bill will first need to be voted out of the House Rules Committee, which began deliberations at 1 a.m.
Republicans can only afford to lose three members for the bill to pass the full House.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 21 May 2025
That differs from a jury trial, where jurors come back from deliberations and provide a verdict, but no explanation.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 20 May 2025
The Trump administration has invoked the state secrets privilege in the case, saying disclosure of internal deliberations could harm U.S. foreign policy.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for deliberation
Cite this Entry
“Deliberation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deliberation. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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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