dean

noun

ˈdēn 

1

a

: the head of the chapter of a collegiate or cathedral church

b

: a Roman Catholic priest who supervises one district of a diocese

2

a

: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university

b

: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling and disciplining students

3

: doyen sense 1

dean intransitive verb

deanship

ˈdēn-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• doyen
• elder
• elder statesman
• éminence grise
• nestor
• senior

Examples of dean in a Sentence

She's the dean of the university's business school.

the dean of liberal arts

Recent Examples on the Web

The soon-to-be dean went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from Washington State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in substance abuse from that university. —Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 13 June 2024

Japan and the United States, says the author, share many… The Last Leninists: The Uncertain Future Of Asia’s Communist States The dean of America's Asianists looks at the communist states of East Asia and asks whether the status quo can survive in any of them. —Donald S. Zagoria, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024

One playoff game, the arena was so packed, the dean of students turned away MC Hammer and his entourage at the door. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024

Jason King, the dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, says that the lyrics of the song, which are about the life cycle of a flower, evoke pastoralism and nostalgia, which contributes to its appeal. —Cady Lang, TIME, 17 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deen, from Anglo-French deen, deien, from Late Latin decanus chief of ten, from Greek dekanos, from deka ten — more at ten

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing dean

• dean's list
• rural dean
• sub-dean

Kids Definition

dean

noun

ˈdēn 

1

: the head of the chapter of a cathedral church

2

a

: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university

b

: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling or disciplining students

3

: the senior member of a group

the dean of the diplomatic corps

deanship

-ˌship 

noun

Biographical Definition

Dean

biographical name

ˈdēn 

Sir Patrick 1909–1994 British diplomat