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
While some community colleges, including the College of DuPage, hold homecomings, the committee didn’t look to them for ideas, said Amybeth Maurer, assistant dean of the student experience and engagement.
—
Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Before serving as president of the University of Alabama, Bell served as provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and as dean of the School of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kansas.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for dean
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Before serving as president of the University of Alabama, Bell served as provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and as dean of the School of Engineering and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Kansas.
—Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 18 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
