consideration

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Careful thought; deliberation.
• noun A result of considering; an opinion or a judgment.
• noun A factor to be considered in forming a judgment or decision.
• noun A treatment or account.
• noun Thoughtful concern for others; solicitude.
• noun High regard; esteem.
• noun Payment given in exchange for a service rendered; recompense.
• noun Law Something promised, given, or done that has the effect of making an agreement a legally enforceable contract.
• idiom (in consideration of) In view of; on account of.
• idiom (in consideration of) In return for.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The act of considering; mental view; regard; notice: as, to take into consideration the probable consequences.
• noun Careful reflection; serious deliberation.
• noun Contemplation; observation; heed: with of: as, he was acquitted in consideration of his youth.
• noun Thoughtful, sympathetic, appreciative, or deserved regard or respect: with for before the subject considered: as, consideration for the feelings of others is the mark of a gentleman.
• noun Some degree of importance; claim to notice or regard; place in or hold upon regard, attention, or thought.
• noun That which is or should be considered; a subject of reflection or deliberation; a matter of import or consequence; something taken or to be taken into account: as, the public good should be the controlling consideration with a statesman.
• noun Recompense for trouble, service rendered, or the like; remuneration.
• noun In law, that which a contracting party accepts as an equivalent for a service rendered; the sum or thing given, or service rendered, in exchange for something else, or the sum, thing,or service received in exchange for something; the price of a promise or a transfer of property.
• noun Synonyms and Attention, reflection.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun The act or process of considering; continuous careful thought; examination; contemplation; deliberation; attention.
• noun Attentive respect; appreciative regard; -- used especially in diplomatic or stately correspondence.
• noun Thoughtful or sympathetic regard or notice.
• noun Claim to notice or regard; some degree of importance or consequence.
• noun The result of delibration, or of attention and examonation; matured opinion; a reflection.
• noun That which is, or should be, taken into account as a ground of opinion or action; motive; reason.
• noun (Law) The cause which moves a contracting party to enter into an agreement; the material cause of a contract; the price of a stripulation; compensation; equivalent.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun The thought process of considering, of taking everything into account.
• noun Something considered as a reason or ground for a (possible) decision.
• noun The tendency to consider others.
• noun A payment or other recompense for something done.
• noun law A matter of inducement for something promised; something valuable given as recompense for a promise, which causes the promise to become binding as a contract.
• noun Importance, claim to notice, regard.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun a considerate and thoughtful act
• noun information that should be kept in mind when making a decision
• noun the process of giving careful thought to something
• noun kind and considerate regard for others
• noun a fee charged in advance to retain the services of someone
• noun a discussion of a topic (as in a meeting)