Bethink

//bɪˈθɪŋk// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To think about, to recollect. obsolete, transitive
  2. 2
    consider or ponder something carefully wordnet
  3. 3
    To think of (something or somebody) or that (followed by clause); to remind oneself, to consider, to reflect upon. reflexive

    "Baſ[ſanio]. Be aſſured you may. / Iew [i.e., Shylock]. I will be aſſured I may: and that I may be aſſured, I will bethinke mee, may I ſpeake with Anthonio?"

  4. 4
    cause oneself to consider something wordnet
  5. 5
    To meditate, ponder; to consider. intransitive
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  1. 6
    To determine, resolve.

Synonyms

All synonyms
afterthinkagitatebear in mindcall to mindchewchew over

Example

More examples

"As he stopped to bethink himself, they turned and looked eastward."

Etymology

From Middle English bethenken, bithenchen (“to think about, consider”) from Old English beþenċan, biþenċan (“to think upon, remind, consider, remember”), from Proto-Germanic *biþankijaną; equivalent to be- + think. Akin to Old High German pidenchan (German bedenken), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (biþagkjan), Dutch bedenken.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.