mere 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmir How to pronounce mere (audio)
Definition of merenext
as in very
being this and no more the mere idea of your traveling alone to Europe is ridiculous

Synonyms & Similar Words

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mere

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British
as in puddle
a small often deep body of water one of the most scenic meres in England's Lake District

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 mere
Adjective
Houston is 36-27 in those games and 20-28 in all the others, underscoring what Peña’s mere presence means to a team without much depth behind him. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 The news comes mere days after rival OpenAI revealed that an autonomous AI agent had broken out of its sandbox to engage in a multi-day intrusion of the AI community platform Hugging Face. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 31 July 2026 So reasoning traces, the very things that supposedly distinguish LRMs from the mere next-word-predicting LLMs, are not necessarily either meaningful or causal to a model’s … reasoning? — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 31 July 2026 In his sentencing memo, lawyers for the young Haji Zada portrayed him as a mere teenager who was only trying to fulfill the wishes of his older brother-in-law, and not as someone driven by radical ideology. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mere
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mere
  1. very
  2. puddle
  3. sheer
  4. pool
Adjective
  • Over the last year or so, the league saw some high-profile defections back to the PGA Tour, the very establishment that LIV was meant to surpass.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • But even those people who dislike the very existence of private schools in big cities would be hard-pressed to make the case that the entire sector collectively makes up a torture chamber.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of very
Noun
  • About halfway up, the orange-and-black butterflies had begun appearing in groups, alighting on flowers or gathering to sip water from puddles.
    — Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • Some of it had escaped through a gash in her shin, forming a small gray-pink puddle by her ankle that gave off an astringent smell.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of puddle
Adjective
  • Cyrus’ flawless-looking skin was in part thanks to the Maybelline New York Lifter Plump and Glow Foundation, a sheer base that can be built up for more coverage.
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • For her main ensemble, the Catwoman star wore head-to-toe black, including a strappy triangle bikini layered beneath a semi-sheer coverup that doubled as a minidress.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of sheer
Noun
  • One video, first shared with The Miami Hurricane by a person who wants to remain anonymous, appears to show a man being pushed into a pool while his pants are on fire.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • One solution that came from readers of this column was to put up a flag whenever the pool was open and take it down whenever guests weren’t welcome.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of pool

Browse Nearby Words

mercy killings
mere
merely
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Cite this Entry

“Mere.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mere. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of mere for Spanish Speakers

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