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
The letter, sent to Hook by the university's dean of the College of Fine Arts, Bruce Kelley, said Hook violated policy.
—
Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Students can enroll with a major of their choice and a Native American studies minor, said Anette Reed, Wileety Native American College’s dean.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
And unlike Homelander, Cipher might just be a one-season villain like the dean before him.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, wrote in a July op-ed for the Sacramento Bee that wearing a mask does not infringe on ICE agents or the federal government’s ability to perform their duties, and therefore the law should be constitutional.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
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Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Students can enroll with a major of their choice and a Native American studies minor, said Anette Reed, Wileety Native American College’s dean.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2025
And unlike Homelander, Cipher might just be a one-season villain like the dean before him.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, wrote in a July op-ed for the Sacramento Bee that wearing a mask does not infringe on ICE agents or the federal government’s ability to perform their duties, and therefore the law should be constitutional.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 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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