mere

1 of 4

adjective

ˈmir 

superlative merest

1

: being nothing more than

a mere mortal

a mere hint of spice

2

: having no admixture (see admixture sense 2) : pure

3

obsolete : being nothing less than : absolute

mere

2 of 4

noun (1)

chiefly British

: an expanse of standing (see standing entry 1 sense 2) water : lake, pool

… had seen several boats on an inland mere …

—Yale Review

mere

3 of 4

noun (2)

: boundary

also : landmark

-mere

4 of 4

noun combining form

: part : segment

metamere

Synonyms of mere

Adjective

• very
• sheer

Noun (1)

• puddle
• pool

Examples of mere in a Sentence

Adjective

the mere idea of your traveling alone to Europe is ridiculous

Noun (1)

one of the most scenic meres in England's Lake District

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many studios either shuffled their product directly to streaming or waited a mere 17 days for their films to become available to buy or rent at home. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Tensions in the legal standoff between LSU and the SEC spiked Thursday when a Louisiana judge cleared the way for a pair of former NFL signees to play for the Tigers, mere hours after the conference sued one of its charter members. — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

The mere juxtaposition of Musk and Tony Stark implants the idea that the former inspired the latter. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Far beyond a mere productivity boost, this continuous learning loop is where AI is going to become significantly, strategically valuable for organizations. — Ganesh Shankar, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin merus; akin to Old English āmerian to purify and perhaps to Greek marmairein to sparkle — more at morn

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English — more at marine

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old English mǣre; akin to Old Norse landamæri borderland

Noun combining form

French -mère, from Greek meros part — more at merit entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mere

• beer
• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• ear
• fear
• fier
• gear
• hear

Kids Definition

mere

1 of 2 noun

ˈmi(ə)r 

: a sheet of still water : pool

mere

2 of 2 adjective

superlative merest

: being only this and nothing else : nothing more than

a mere whisper

a mere child

merely adverb

Etymology

Noun

Old English mere "lake, pool"

Adjective

Middle English mere "nothing more or less than," from Latin merus "pure"