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
dean
intransitive verb
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
Pageants, deans' lists, graduations or military enlistments are not accepted.
—
Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
Kim Elaine Barrett, the vice dean of research at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, said her school lost grants aimed at building a biomedical workforce that is more representative of the population.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 18 June 2025
More than 50% of both MD and PhD programs are filled with women, but only 12% become full professors, department chairs or deans.
—Afshan Musani, CNBC, 18 June 2025
The year Yang switched, the new dean of the media school had the students make a feature-length film based on a play.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
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Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
Kim Elaine Barrett, the vice dean of research at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, said her school lost grants aimed at building a biomedical workforce that is more representative of the population.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 18 June 2025
More than 50% of both MD and PhD programs are filled with women, but only 12% become full professors, department chairs or deans.
—Afshan Musani, CNBC, 18 June 2025
The year Yang switched, the new dean of the media school had the students make a feature-length film based on a play.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dean
noun1
: 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
Biographical Definition
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