mete

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verb \ ˈmēt \

Definition of mete

meted; meting

transitive verb

1 :to give out by measure :dole out

She realized the stern retribution which justice metes to the murderer.
—Edgar Rice Burroughs

—usually used with out

mete out punishment

2 archaic :measure

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Recent Examples of mete from the Web

The criminal justice system in particular has been used as a cudgel to mete out draconian punishments against Shiites following egregiously unfair trials.

— chicagotribune.com, "Saudi Arabia's 'war on terror' is now targeting Saudi Shia," 23 Aug. 2017
But frustration at the paralysis of the United Nations Security Council and the absence of a forum in which to mete out justice, the veteran decided to throw in the towel and resign from a UN panel investigating war crimes in Syria.

— dominique soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, "What Carla Del Ponte's resignation means for search for justice in Syria," 10 Aug. 2017
Cersei, on the other hand, is enjoying calm in King’s Landing and even got to mete out the queen’s justice to two of her biggest enemies: Ellaria and Nymeria Sand, and Lady Olenna Tyrell, the women responsible for killing two of her children.

— lenika cruz, The Atlantic, "Game of Thrones: All the Queens’ Men," 31 July 2017
One is that strong leadership—in the form of a strong central government that's able to mete out real punishments—

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "New “bribery game” shows that sometimes, transparency makes things worse," 15 July 2017
Hong condemned the cruelty by the suspect and urged the U.S. judicial system to hold a fair trial and mete out harsh punishment to the man charged in the case.

— Washington Post, "Man held in Chinese scholar’s kidnapping was grad student," 2 July 2017
The U.S. has promised to mete out the equipment incrementally, based on the mission, to insure weapons aren’t used by Kurdish groups in Turkey.

— Washington Post, "US starts giving arms to Syrian Kurds ahead of Raqqa assault," 30 May 2017
Matt and Chris maintain the bot on their own server and mete out access to it.

— lauren schwartzberg, WIRED, "The Botmakers Who Rule the Obsessive World of Streetwear," 25 May 2017
The most urgent task ahead is a broader counter-espionage inquiry conducted not to mete out punishments, but to discover and publicize the truth, however disturbing.

— david frum, The Atlantic, "What Does the President Owe, and to Whom Does He Owe It?," 18 May 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mete

Middle English, from Old English metan; akin to Old High German mezzan to measure, Latin modus measure, Greek medesthai to be mindful of

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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mete

noun

Definition of mete

:boundary

metes and bounds

Origin and Etymology of mete

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin meta

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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METE Defined for Kids

mete

play

verb \ ˈmēt \

Definition of mete for Students

meted; meting

:to distribute as deserved

The judge will mete out punishment.

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