intentions

noun

plural of intention
1
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish her intention is to climb the highest peak in each of the 50 states

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in senses
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action she was uncertain of the intention of his frantic gesturing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 intentions The Philadelphia Phillies have made little secret of their intentions ahead of this year's trade deadline, with a top-heavy roster in need of some reinforcements. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Assessing the real motives and intentions of the regime in Tehran is difficult. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 In The Odyssey, Odysseus (Matt Damon) serves in the Trojan war, and his laborious journey home highlights how imperialism makes villains out of us all, no matter how good our intentions. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026 Yet even while criticizing the result, a reporter who benefits from staying in ESPN’s good graces rushed to defend management’s intentions. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 Treating that dedication as a decoder ring for this film’s intentions would be presumptuous. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 July 2026 But despite the best of intentions to genuinely surprise audiences, the endeavor didn’t quite go as planned due to various forms of online leaks. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 Here against France, Bouaddi tries to evade the onrushing Desire Doue with a drag-back, only for the forward to read his intentions, winning the ball in a dangerous attacking area. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 22 July 2026 FanDuel hasn’t specified its intentions with that application. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intentions
  1. goals
  2. senses
  3. plans
  4. meanings
  5. purposes
  6. intents
  7. objectives
  8. contents
Noun
  • The superstar forward failed to crack the net after scoring seven goals across four games in his debut World Cup appearance.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026
  • Kansas City has now scored a league-leading 28 goals this year.
    — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Definition of goals
Noun
  • The rooftop offers a counterpoint—a setting where visitors can reconnect with their senses through elements like shade, the breeze, and seasonal plantings.
    — Oset Babür-Winter, Architectural Digest, 17 July 2026
  • Magnetoreception is one of the most controversial animal senses.
    — Laura Russo, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
Definition of senses
Noun
  • The release, signed by Madeline Romious, board president, said that the board will begin a search for her successor immediately and that additional details will be shared as plans are finalized.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
  • Zuckerberg acknowledged the potential to generate additional revenue by renting its computing infrastructure to other companies, and confirmed that Meta has plans to get into the cloud business, promising an update soon.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 30 July 2026
Definition of plans
Noun
  • The poem is rife with open meanings; however, its principal question is important for anyone who has felt slighted or discouraged from conducting their lives with reverie.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • But nothing special happens, and no surprising meanings or emotions arise here.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 25 July 2026
Definition of meanings
Noun
  • One of the purposes of Ameri’kana is to gather with other people, meet new neighbors and participate in the arts with others.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • Our waiter, Juan, was – as all servers at Papi Steak are – quick to illuminate the kaleidoscopic dish with a pocket flashlight, apparently for documentary purposes.
    — Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of purposes
Noun
  • Nearly every customer relationship, operational workflow, escalation path and commercial outcome emerges from one of these two conversational intents.
    — Naresh Prajapati, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • For all intents and purposes, an unknown actor can wade unburdened into the depths of Bond, able to transform without a viewer’s prior expectation tainting the image of 007.
    — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of intents
Noun
  • American armed forces launched the war alongside Israel, which has different interests, redlines, and objectives.
    — Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
  • The inference of the joint venture was clear; if FIFA continued to pursue proposals that Europe and South America did not think were in their interests, then those confederations would work independently to achieve their own objectives.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of objectives
Noun
  • The new measure was passed on Thursday, but the contents of the law were not made public until late Sunday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Major news organizations, unimpressed by the contents and aware of the successful Russian hack-and-leak in 2016, all passed on the dossier.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of contents

Browse Nearby Words

intentionally
intentions
intently
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intentions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intentions. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on intentions

Nglish: Translation of intentions for Spanish Speakers

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 élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

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

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All