1
a
: the head of the chapter of a collegiate or cathedral church
b
: a Roman Catholic priest who supervises one district of a diocese
2
a
: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
b
: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling and disciplining students
3
dean
intransitive verb
Examples of dean in a Sentence
She's the dean of the university's business school.
the dean of liberal arts
Recent Examples on the Web
Now that Shetty is gone, there’s this other person who is a dad age, the dean — someone who is, allegedly, supposed to look out for the students.
—
Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
But the school’s dean, too, has become something of an emblem—of how unprepared many scientists are to face this new political reality.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
Munson is organist at First United Methodist Church of Escondido, adjunct professor of music at Palomar College and dean of the Palomar Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
Parlow, a Los Angeles native and Yale-educated lawyer, previously served as the university’s law school dean and chief fundraiser.
—Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
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Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
But the school’s dean, too, has become something of an emblem—of how unprepared many scientists are to face this new political reality.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
Munson is organist at First United Methodist Church of Escondido, adjunct professor of music at Palomar College and dean of the Palomar Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
Parlow, a Los Angeles native and Yale-educated lawyer, previously served as the university’s law school dean and chief fundraiser.
—Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dean
noun1
: the head of the chapter of a cathedral church
2
a
: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
b
: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling or disciplining students
3
: the senior member of a group
the dean of the diplomatic corps
Biographical Definition
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