The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Contemplate \Con"tem*plate\ (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
   Contemplated (# or #); p. pr. & vb. n. Contemplating.]
   [L. contemplatus, p. p. of contemplari to contemplate; con- +
   templum a space for observation marked out by the augur. See
   Temple.]
   1. To look at on all sides or in all its bearings; to view or
      consider with continued attention; to regard with
      deliberate care; to meditate on; to study.
      [1913 Webster]

            To love, at least contemplate and admire,
            What I see excellent.
                                                  --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

            We thus dilate
            Our spirits to the size of that they contemplate.
                                                  --Byron.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To consider or have in view, as contingent or probable; to
      look forward to; to purpose; to intend.
      [1913 Webster]

            There remain some particulars to complete the
            information contemplated by those resolutions. --A.
                                                  Hamilton.
      [1913 Webster]

            If a treaty contains any stipulations which
            contemplate a state of future war.    --Kent.

   Syn: To view; behold; study; ponder; muse; meditate on;
        reflect on; consider; intend; design; plan; propose;
        purpose. See Meditate.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Contemplate \Con"tem*plate\, v. i.
   To consider or think studiously; to ponder; to reflect; to
   muse; to meditate.
   [1913 Webster]

         So many hours must I contemplate.        --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

contemplate
    v 1: look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought; "contemplate
         one's navel"
    2: consider as a possibility; "I contemplated leaving school and
       taking a full-time job"
    3: think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes; "He
       is meditating in his study" [syn: study, meditate,
       contemplate]
    4: reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the
       afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of
       God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to
       observe and start to excogitate" [syn: chew over, think
       over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate,
       muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate,
       speculate]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

115 Moby Thesaurus words for "contemplate":
   aim, anticipate, be abstracted, bear in mind, behold, bone, brood,
   brood over, chew over, chew the cud, con, consider, debate,
   deliberate, deliberate over, design, dig, digest, dread, drift,
   drill, elucubrate, entertain thoughts of, envisage, envision,
   examine, excogitate, expect, eye, face, foreglimpse, foresee,
   foretaste, give the eye, give the once-over, go over, grind,
   harbor an idea, hard look, have in mind, have in view,
   have thoughts about, hold an idea, hold the thought, hope, image,
   imagine, inspect, intend, introspect, keep in mind, leer, leer at,
   look ahead, look at, look beyond, look forward to, look over,
   look upon, lucubrate, mean, meditate, mind, mull over, muse,
   muse on, muse over, observe, ogle, ogle at, perpend, peruse, plan,
   play around with, play with, plunge into, ponder, ponder over,
   pore, pore over, practice, predict, presume, read, reflect, regard,
   regard studiously, restudy, review, roam, ruminate, ruminate over,
   scan, scrutinize, see, see ahead, see beforehand, size up,
   speculate, study, survey, swot, take a long, take for granted,
   take stock of, think, think about, think of, think over, toy with,
   vet, view, visualize, wade through, weigh