mean

¹mean

verb \ˈmēn\

meant \ˈment\ mean·ing \ˈmē-niŋ\

Definition of MEAN

transitive verb

1

a : to have in the mind as a purpose : intend <she means to win> —sometimes used interjectionally with I, chiefly in informal speech for emphasis <he throws, I mean, hard> or to introduce a phrase restating the point of a preceding phrase <we try to answer what we can, but I mean we're not God — Bobbie Ann Mason> b : to design for or destine to a specified purpose or future <I was meant to teach>

2

: to serve or intend to convey, show, or indicate : signify <a red sky means rain>

3

: to have importance to the degree of <health means everything>

4

: to direct to a particular individual

intransitive verb

: to have an intended purpose <he means well>

— mean·er \ˈmē-nər\ noun

— mean business

: to be in earnest

Examples of MEAN

1. The word meant one thing in Shakespeare's day, but it means something else now.
2. Red means “stop” and green means “go.”
3. Can you tell me what my dream means?
4. What was meant by the poet?
5. Don't distort what she meant by taking her words out of context.
6. He's very ambitious, and I mean that as a compliment.
7. It's a very easy question. Anyone, and I mean anyone, should be able to answer it.
8. She's not getting any thinner, if you know what I mean.
9. She says she didn't mean anything by what she did.
10. I don't trust him. He means no good.
11. The season of backyard barbecues and lakeside cookouts is at hand, which in most parts of the country means an orgy of grilled steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs lasting until Labor Day and beyond. —R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 5 June 2002
12. Even the water in the cave was free from surface contamination … which meant that all the water now in Lechugilla percolated into the cave before the widespread nuclear bomb testing of the 1940s … —Jon Krakauer, Air & Space, October/November 1995
13. Home meant my father, with kind eyes, songs, and tense recitations for my brother and myself. —Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993

Origin of MEAN

Middle English menen, from Old English mǣnan; akin to Old High German meinen to have in mind, Old Church Slavic měniti to mention

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to MEAN

Synonyms: denote, express, import, intend, signify, spell

Related Words: connote, imply, suggest; add up (to), amount (to); hint, infer, insinuate, intimate; embody, epitomize, personify, represent, symbol, symbolize; advert, allude (to), cite, instance, mention, refer (to), specify, touch (on or upon); designate, indicate, point (to), signal; announce, declare, proclaim; elucidate, explain

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