1
a
: to have in the mind as a purpose : intend
she means to win
—sometimes used interjectionally with I, chiefly in informal speech for emphasishe throws, I mean, hard
or to introduce a phrase restating the point of a preceding phrasewe try to answer what we can, but I mean we're not God—
Bobbie Ann Mason
Bobbie Ann Mason
b
: to design for or destine to a specified purpose or future
I was meant to teach
3
: to have importance to the degree of
health means everything
4
: to direct to a particular individual
His criticism was meant for all of us.
: to have an intended purpose
he means well
2
: lacking in mental discrimination : dull
3
a
: of poor, shabby, or inferior quality or status
mean city streets
b
: worthy of little regard : contemptible
—often used in negative constructions as a term of praise
no mean feat
4
: lacking dignity or honor : base
a mean motive
5
6
: ashamed sense 1b
His ready cooperation made me feel mean for what I had said.
1
: occupying a middle position : intermediate in space, order, time, kind, or degree
2
3
: serving as a means : intermediary
1
a(1)
: something intervening or intermediate
(2)
: a middle point between extremes
b
: a value that lies within a range of values and is computed according to a prescribed law: such as
(1)
(2)
c
: either of the middle two terms of a proportion
2
means plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: something useful or helpful to a desired end
3
means plural
: resources available for disposal
especially
: material resources affording a secure life
Synonyms
Examples of mean in a Sentence
Verb
The season of backyard barbecues and lakeside cookouts is at hand, which in most parts of the country means an orgy of grilled steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs lasting until Labor Day and beyond.
—R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 5 June 2002
Even the water in the cave was free from surface contamination … which meant that all the water now in Lechugilla percolated into the cave before the widespread nuclear bomb testing of the 1940s …
—Jon Krakauer, Air & Space, October/November 1995
Home meant my father, with kind eyes, songs, and tense recitations for my brother and myself.
—Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993
The word meant one thing in Shakespeare's day, but it means something else now.
Red means “stop” and green means “go.”
Can you tell me what my dream means?
What was meant by the poet?
Don't distort what she meant by taking her words out of context.
He's very ambitious, and I mean that as a compliment.
It's a very easy question. Anyone, and I mean anyone, should be able to answer it.
She's not getting any thinner, if you know what I mean.
She says she didn't mean anything by what she did.
I don't trust him. He means no good.
Adjective (1)
For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.
—John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995
… the streets of Spanish Harlem are meaner than when he left them, and they're pulling him back in.
—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 1993
… what you discover is the one with the tail was old mean landlord Mr. prosperous Prospero who wielded without thought of God or man the merry old cat-o'-nine-tails …
—Darryl Pinckney, Times Literary Supplement, 23 Aug. 1991
Creighton Abrams was a tanker, according to George Patton the meanest tanker the Germans had faced in the whole U.S. Third Army, and he had a temper that matched the fearsome machines he loved.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
Noun
Take all these temperatures and calculate their mean.
trying to find a golden mean between doing too little and doing too much
See More
R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 5 June 2002
Even the water in the cave was free from surface contamination … which meant that all the water now in Lechugilla percolated into the cave before the widespread nuclear bomb testing of the 1940s …
—Jon Krakauer, Air & Space, October/November 1995
Home meant my father, with kind eyes, songs, and tense recitations for my brother and myself.
—Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993
The word meant one thing in Shakespeare's day, but it means something else now.
Red means “stop” and green means “go.”
Can you tell me what my dream means?
What was meant by the poet?
Don't distort what she meant by taking her words out of context.
He's very ambitious, and I mean that as a compliment.
It's a very easy question. Anyone, and I mean anyone, should be able to answer it.
She's not getting any thinner, if you know what I mean.
She says she didn't mean anything by what she did.
I don't trust him. He means no good.
Adjective (1)
For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.
—John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995
… the streets of Spanish Harlem are meaner than when he left them, and they're pulling him back in.
—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 1993
… what you discover is the one with the tail was old mean landlord Mr. prosperous Prospero who wielded without thought of God or man the merry old cat-o'-nine-tails …
—Darryl Pinckney, Times Literary Supplement, 23 Aug. 1991
Creighton Abrams was a tanker, according to George Patton the meanest tanker the Germans had faced in the whole U.S. Third Army, and he had a temper that matched the fearsome machines he loved.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
Noun
Take all these temperatures and calculate their mean.
trying to find a golden mean between doing too little and doing too much
See More
Recent Examples on the WebHoward Blume, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023
But in a rural society where the ability to garner support and mobilize the masses meant political power and prestige, making money wasn’t the point, Banerjee said.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
Does the song’s initial success mean more to (or about) either artist right now?
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 26 Sep. 2023
Not doing so will mean the further spread of extremism and antisemitism.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2023
These demographic differences mean that the group of voters choosing the Republican candidate have a completely different history, worldview and peer group from the generally younger and more diverse voters that could head to the polls in the November elections.
—Monica Potts, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2023
That means its operations and funding don't stop when the government shuts down.
—Marley Jay, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023
When the whole family is along for the ride, that usually means catering to every age, every skill level, and every interest.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2023
That means that even at its most efficient, the system can only generate about 18% less energy than my house uses on a daily basis.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 26 Sep. 2023
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
The restaurant also makes a mean charcuterie and cheese platter that features bread, olives, cheese, and meat.
—Alex Darus, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023
These high temperatures continued after Phoenix experienced the hottest summer on record, where the mean daily average was 97 degrees.
—Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Sep. 2023
Rapp moved to the New York City and took over the role of titular mean girl Regina George at 19 years old.
—Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2023
There were lots of powerful women alive in the Roman Empire, but then the Roman sources, and the Greek sources that wind up writing about those women are incredibly mean spirited, because to be an ambitious woman is to open yourself up to all kinds of attacks.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2023
The Phase 3 trial found that after 18 weeks of treatment, participants with moderate to severe PTSD who received MDMA reported significant improvements in their symptoms, showing a mean reduction of 24 points in symptom severity compared to a 15-point reduction for the placebo group.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 14 Sep. 2023
Manis has talked about her win on Facebook, noting that some people have been mean following her win.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
The mean kids in Gossip Girl have nothing on these little kids Taylor Momsen grew up with.
—Grinch Girl, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2023
Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2023
The tools and methods of the discipline are shifting toward increasingly sophisticated—and increasingly hands-off—means of finding, mapping, and preserving human historical sites.
—WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023
The lucky dealers — those who invested early, or had the financial means to do so later — bought their spaces.
—Zoë Lescaze, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023
They can be bought either as a voluntary means of reducing carbon footprints or as a way to comply with government climate goals and regulations.
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2023
Hence, the Shiller formula implies that by reverting to the mean, EPS will trend not upwards from here, but southwards toward $160.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
Only eleven—less than a fifth—relied on hunting as their primary means of subsistence, and all but one were limited to either the highest or the lowest latitudes, far beyond our African homeland.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
Britain has been seeking to take tougher action on external security threats and potential spies, and in July passed a national security law, aiming at overhauling its means of deterring espionage and foreign interference with new tools and criminal provisions.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
The seat features a 15.6-inch, in-seat touchscreen loaded with about 100 movies, not extensive by any means but more than enough to fill the seven-hour-and-change flight.
—Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2023
See More
Verb
That means future charter-school policy will be at stake next year in school-board elections that are typically the most high-spending in the nation.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2023
But in a rural society where the ability to garner support and mobilize the masses meant political power and prestige, making money wasn’t the point, Banerjee said.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
Does the song’s initial success mean more to (or about) either artist right now?
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 26 Sep. 2023
Not doing so will mean the further spread of extremism and antisemitism.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2023
These demographic differences mean that the group of voters choosing the Republican candidate have a completely different history, worldview and peer group from the generally younger and more diverse voters that could head to the polls in the November elections.
—Monica Potts, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2023
That means its operations and funding don't stop when the government shuts down.
—Marley Jay, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2023
When the whole family is along for the ride, that usually means catering to every age, every skill level, and every interest.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2023
That means that even at its most efficient, the system can only generate about 18% less energy than my house uses on a daily basis.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 26 Sep. 2023
Adjective
On YouTube, 8 Passengers became the subject of short documentaries and highly edited compilations of Franke seemingly being mean to her children, some of which have been viewed over 20 million times.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
The restaurant also makes a mean charcuterie and cheese platter that features bread, olives, cheese, and meat.
—Alex Darus, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023
These high temperatures continued after Phoenix experienced the hottest summer on record, where the mean daily average was 97 degrees.
—Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Sep. 2023
Rapp moved to the New York City and took over the role of titular mean girl Regina George at 19 years old.
—Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 25 Aug. 2023
There were lots of powerful women alive in the Roman Empire, but then the Roman sources, and the Greek sources that wind up writing about those women are incredibly mean spirited, because to be an ambitious woman is to open yourself up to all kinds of attacks.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2023
The Phase 3 trial found that after 18 weeks of treatment, participants with moderate to severe PTSD who received MDMA reported significant improvements in their symptoms, showing a mean reduction of 24 points in symptom severity compared to a 15-point reduction for the placebo group.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 14 Sep. 2023
Manis has talked about her win on Facebook, noting that some people have been mean following her win.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
The mean kids in Gossip Girl have nothing on these little kids Taylor Momsen grew up with.
—Grinch Girl, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2023
Noun
While its interior is spacious, there's not much by means of organization: there's just a small card slot so it’s best paired with travel pouches or even small packing cubes.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2023
The tools and methods of the discipline are shifting toward increasingly sophisticated—and increasingly hands-off—means of finding, mapping, and preserving human historical sites.
—WIRED, 28 Sep. 2023
The lucky dealers — those who invested early, or had the financial means to do so later — bought their spaces.
—Zoë Lescaze, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023
They can be bought either as a voluntary means of reducing carbon footprints or as a way to comply with government climate goals and regulations.
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2023
Hence, the Shiller formula implies that by reverting to the mean, EPS will trend not upwards from here, but southwards toward $160.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
Only eleven—less than a fifth—relied on hunting as their primary means of subsistence, and all but one were limited to either the highest or the lowest latitudes, far beyond our African homeland.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
Britain has been seeking to take tougher action on external security threats and potential spies, and in July passed a national security law, aiming at overhauling its means of deterring espionage and foreign interference with new tools and criminal provisions.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
The seat features a 15.6-inch, in-seat touchscreen loaded with about 100 movies, not extensive by any means but more than enough to fill the seven-hour-and-change flight.
—Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 17 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English menen, from Old English mǣnan; akin to Old High German meinen to have in mind, Old Church Slavonic měniti to mention
Adjective (1)
Middle English mene, from imene common, shared, from Old English gemǣne; akin to Old High German gimeini common, Latin communis common, munus service, gift, Sanskrit mayate he exchanges
Adjective (2) and Noun
Middle English mene, from Anglo-French mene, meiene, from Latin medianus — more at median
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Adjective (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Time Traveler
The first known use of mean was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing mean
Dictionary Entries Near mean
Cite this Entry
“Mean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mean. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
mean
1 of 4 adjective1
: lacking distinction or prominence : humble
2
: of poor, shabby, or inferior quality or status
lives in mean surroundings
3
: worthy of little regard : inferior
—often used in negative constructions as a term of praise
a person of no mean ability
4
: deliberately unkind
5
7
: causing trouble or bother
a mean horse
8
: excellent
plays a mean trumpet
meanly
adverb
meanness
noun
ˈmēn-nəs
mean
2 of 4 verb
meant
ˈment
; meaning
ˈmē-niŋ
mean
3 of 4 adjective1
: holding a middle position : intermediate
2
a
: lying about midway between extremes
b
: being the mean of a set of values : average
mean temperature
mean
4 of 4 noun1
: a middle point between extremes
2
a
: a value that represents a range of values
especially
: arithmetic mean
b
: either of the middle two terms of a proportion
3
plural
: something by which a desired result is achieved or furthered
means of production
use any means you can
4
plural
: wealth sense 1
a person of means
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English mene, imene "held in common, inferior," from Old English gemǣne "held in common"
Verb
Old English mǣnan "to have in mind, intend"
Adjective
Middle English mene "being in a middle position," from early French meiene (same meaning), from Latin medianus "being in the middle" — related to median entry 1
More from Merriam-Webster on mean
Nglish: Translation of mean for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mean for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mean
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