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
To that end, China has often avoided directly pushing for the end of North Korea’s nuclear program, according to an analysis by Jiyong Zheng, dean of the Institute of Regional Studies at Tianjin Foreign Studies University in China.
—
ABC News, 9 June 2026
The religious studies department is home to eight faculty members, said Sahara Byrne, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
Ayanna Howard, the dean of Ohio State University's engineering college and appointee to the federal government's National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, was chosen to be the next president of Spelman College in Atlanta, a historically Black liberal arts institution for women.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2026
Brenda McAleer, dean of the College of Professional Studies at the University of Maine at Augusta — which is preparing to offer a bachelor’s of applied public administration — said the degrees were designed for adults who already have some work experience or have taken some college courses.
—Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for dean
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ABC News, 9 June 2026
The religious studies department is home to eight faculty members, said Sahara Byrne, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
Ayanna Howard, the dean of Ohio State University's engineering college and appointee to the federal government's National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, was chosen to be the next president of Spelman College in Atlanta, a historically Black liberal arts institution for women.
—Arkansas Online, 7 June 2026
Brenda McAleer, dean of the College of Professional Studies at the University of Maine at Augusta — which is preparing to offer a bachelor’s of applied public administration — said the degrees were designed for adults who already have some work experience or have taken some college courses.
—Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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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