mete

verb

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\ ˈmēt

meted; meting

Definition of mete

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

mete

noun

Definition of mete (Entry 2 of 2)

: boundary metes and bounds

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Examples of mete in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb CEOs have the power to mete out punishments and benefits. — Lynne Curry | Alaska Workplace, Anchorage Daily News, 9 May 2022 This collaboration can help mete out a plan, determine who will be responsible for what, and what sub-teams might collaborate on which details. — Peter High, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 The Academy, meanwhile, is still trying to figure out what punishment, if any, to mete out. — Andy Meek, BGR, 29 Mar. 2022 Society hasn’t benefited from the exemptions, which mete out justice to those who can afford to lobby the state Legislature—and continue to prioritize the interests of small groups of locals over worthy statewide policy objectives. — Chris Carr, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2022 As part of the agreement, a special court is supposed to uncover the truth about seven decades of rebel violence, mete out justice and compensate victims. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2022 Greene and Gosar may have brought embarrassment on their party, but Republican leadership struggled to mete out any type of strong punishment. — Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 9 Mar. 2022 Batman and Superman were not the only superheroes to mete out vengeance during the war years. — Samantha Baskind, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2022 The raging, swirling winds that struck Bowling Green did not mete out their damage evenly. — Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun This is an interesting linguistic development, given that the etymology of the word meat can be traced back to the old English mete, which denoted foodstuffs more generally. — Sarah Garland, The New Republic, 5 Oct. 2021 Common sense would dictate asking for nothing short of the moon back, especially with the leverage mete running. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019 It has not yet been snared in a catalog of designations and coordinates, of metes and bounds. — Barry Lopez, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019 It has not yet been snared in a catalog of designations and coordinates, of metes and bounds. — Barry Lopez, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019 See More

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.