mete

verb \ ˈmēt \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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 pilot commissions have had a broad remit to investigate and detain government workers for graft and dereliction of duty, freeze their assets and, in some cases, mete out punishment without going through the courts.

— chun han wong, WSJ, "China’s Communist Party Policing Spreads to Cover All Government Workers," 13 Mar. 2018
Conventional deterrence in Europe had already been squandered, and to this date Russia is undeterred from engaging in a range of threatening behaviors that mete out serious harm to Western security interests.

— chicagotribune.com, "Merkel's military revival," 29 Mar. 2018
The new supervisory commission targets graft and dereliction of duty from functionaries to senior officials, with powers to interrogate and detain suspects, freeze assets and, in some cases, mete out punishment.

— chun han wong, WSJ, "Xi Ally Elected Head of China’s New Anticorruption Agency," 18 Mar. 2018
So what standard was used in 1905 to mete out the punishment?

— john myers, latimes.com, "There's no firm rule for punishing a California lawmaker's bad behavior," 25 Feb. 2018
The chambers are split on how to mete out $266 million in Medicaid funds for hospitals, how much to fund affordable housing programs and what to spend on tourism promotion.

— gray rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Halfway through session, lawmakers getting little done as campaign trail beckons," 9 Feb. 2018
Now, the Senate Rules Committee will convene Jan. 11 to consider what penalty, including expulsion, to mete out.

— gray rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Gov. Rick Scott: Latvala should resign," 20 Dec. 2017
Most are settled at this table by the judges, who often mete out small fines, which the defendants pay to victims and camp administrators.

— ryan lenora brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "Canvas cities: Does the world need a new model for refugee camps?," 9 Oct. 2017
Luis Zayas, dean of the University of Texas at Austin's School of Social Work, said in a phone interview on Thursday that children are often an afterthought when courts mete out deportation orders.

— matt ormseth, courant.com, "Rally Bolsters CCSU Students Whose Parents Face Deportation," 14 Sep. 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

verb \ ˈmēt \

Definition of mete for Students

meted; meting

: to distribute as deserved

The judge will mete out punishment.

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