meant to (be/do something)

idiom

1
: intended to (do or be something)
I was never meant to teach.
They knew as soon as they met that they were meant to be together.
I thought we could be friends, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
2
British : supposed to (be or do something)
The buses are meant to arrive every 15 minutes.
Brighton is meant to be very beautiful at this time of year.

Examples of meant to (be/do something) in a Sentence

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The mission that sparked a wave of online conspiracies was meant to help parched farmland. Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 17 Aug. 2025 That meant to ban the Korean language, to ban Korean folk songs from being sung. Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025 And these aren’t just winking cameos meant to elicit knowing nods; Rogen and Goldberg turn many of them into genuinely funny performances. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2025 Along with personalized cleats and bats, players will wear special 'New Era' caps featuring a side patch of players’ numbers meant to resemble youthful illustrations, where each digit has a different color and design. Hailey Roden, The Enquirer, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for meant to (be/do something)

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Cite this Entry

“Meant to (be/do something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meant%20to%20%28be%2Fdo%20something%29. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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