dean

noun

ˈdēn How to pronounce dean (audio)
Definition of deannext
as in elder
the senior member of a group the dean of the Aspen ski instructors oversaw the training of the rescue team

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dean In 2025, Kohut became the dean of research for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and director of research for the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 According to his online profiles for the university and LinkedIn, Kohut is a dean of research for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Kohut is the dean of research at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 With a master’s in public administration from FIU, Avila is a college dean who earned $62,000 last year at a small online school, Doral College, a job that aligns him closely with the growing charter school movement. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dean
  1. elder
  2. veteran
  3. doyen
  4. elder statesman
  5. senior
Noun
  • Her plans include creating a ballroom, cultural and arts center where younger people can practice, newcomers can learn the history and elders can transfer their knowledge.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Borges may not be able to see the scenery, but delights in every scrap of local color, to a degree that the American — tasked with describing everything to his elder, in suitably lyrical terms — finds quite wearisome.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of elder
Noun
  • After Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon in the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Panthers signed veteran tackle Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal in free agency, then drafted Freeling with the 19th pick a month later.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Sharperson, a producer and veteran actor, has more than 20 years of network television and commercial experience.
    — E'Ian West, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of veteran
Noun
  • One of the doyens of Portuguese coaching, who has managed each of the big three in their home country and led Al Hilal to the title in 2023-24 after a 34-game unbeaten streak, was personally convinced by Ronaldo to cross the divide.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
  • Back home in Budapest, fellow academics and foreign diplomats marvel at the doyen of Hungarian foreign policy who doesn’t speak Hungarian.
    — Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of doyen
Noun
  • Yesterday’s punk, grunge, and rebel-outsider upstarts have an uncanny way of evolving into today’s elder statesmen of respectable infamy.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The squad’s elder statesmen set standards on the pitch and in the dressing room to help their more junior colleagues along their journey.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of elder statesman
Noun
  • The crash killed Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, all seniors at Pepperdine University in Malibu and members of the Alpha Phi sorority.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • That abyss, by the way, has spit out 19 seniors being selected to the Hall in the last seven years.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of senior

Browse Nearby Words

deal (with)
dean
deans
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dean. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All