intention

noun

in·ten·tion | \ in-ˈten(t)-shən

Definition of intention

1 : a determination to act in a certain way : resolve

2 : import, significance

3a : what one intends to do or bring about

b : the object for which a prayer, mass, or pious act is offered

4 : a process or manner of healing of incised wounds

5 : concept especially : a concept considered as the product of attention directed to an object of knowledge

6 intentions plural : purpose with respect to marriage

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about intention

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Choose the Right Synonym for intention

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain. intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about. announced his intention to marry intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness. the clear intent of the statute purpose suggests a more settled determination. being successful was her purpose in life design implies a more carefully calculated plan. the order of events came by accident, not design aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing. her aim was to raise film to an art form end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such. willing to use any means to achieve his end object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need. his constant object was the achievement of pleasure objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable. their objective is to seize the oil fields goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship. worked years to reach her goals

Examples of intention in a Sentence

She announced her intention to run for governor. He seemed to think that I was trying to cause problems, but that was never my intention. He bought a dog with the intention of training it to attack intruders. He has good intentions, but his suggestions aren't really helpful.

Recent Examples on the Web

Even Erickson’s friends and family sometimes hindered him through good intentions. — Tom Maxwell, Longreads, "Remembering Roky Erickson," 7 June 2019 Even when the intention is to conceal, the writer’s identity is typically revealed. — Ars Technica, "The Journal of Controversial Ideas—academic freedom sans responsibility is reckless," 25 Nov. 2018 Their intention is to reach the center—where the isolados are. — Fox News, "Inside the Amazon’s ‘world’s most endangered tribe’ who bathes with turtles and and eats armadillos," 1 Oct. 2018 Our intention is to make the enemy eat gay sandwiches and do gay crafts. — Don Sweeney, sacbee, "Letters from the 'front' on Twitter mock prediction of second Civil War on July 4," 3 July 2018 Photo: sergei chirikov/epa/Shutterstock NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said there is no intention to mirror Russian deployments. — James Marson, WSJ, "NATO Defense Ministers Weigh Responses to Russian Missile Threat," 14 Feb. 2019 Its steering and chassis plainly communicate this car's intentions, and the sucker just turns. — Car and Driver, "2019 10Best Cars," 28 Nov. 2018 Such a tax would fall on consumers of those goods—and that is not our intention. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "UK set to impose new “tech tax” on Silicon Valley giants," 29 Oct. 2018 Since his wife, Joan, died last year at age 93, Lee has found himself surrounded by people with unclear motives and intentions, friends and colleagues say. — David Ng, latimes.com, "As Marvel movies soar, Stan Lee sees his private life crumble, with allegations of elder abuse," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intention.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near intention

intensive pronoun

intensive proposition

Statistics for intention

Last Updated

9 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for intention

The first known use of intention was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for intention

intention

noun

English Language Learners Definition of intention

: the thing that you plan to do or achieve : an aim or purpose

See the full definition for intention in the English Language Learners Dictionary

intention

noun

in·ten·tion | \ in-ˈten-shən

Kids Definition of intention

1 : a determination to act in a particular way She announced her intention to run for president.

2 : an aim or plan It's his intention to win.

intention

noun

in·ten·tion | \ in-ˈten-chən

Medical Definition of intention

1 : a determination to act in a certain way

2 : a process or manner of healing of incised wounds — see first intention, second intention

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intention

noun

in·ten·tion | \ in-ˈten-chən

Legal Definition of intention

: something intended : intent the intention of the testator

Note: Intent is more commonly used than intention when speaking technically especially about the criminal and tort concepts of intent (senses 1a and 1b).