1
a
: to have in the mind as a purpose : intend
she means to win
—sometimes used interjectionally with I, chiefly in informal speech for emphasishe throws, I mean, hard
or to introduce a phrase restating the point of a preceding phrasewe try to answer what we can, but I mean we're not God—
Bobbie Ann Mason
Bobbie Ann Mason
b
: to design for or destine to a specified purpose or future
I was meant to teach
3
: to have importance to the degree of
health means everything
4
: to direct to a particular individual
His criticism was meant for all of us.
: to have an intended purpose
he means well
2
: lacking in mental discrimination : dull
3
a
: of poor, shabby, or inferior quality or status
mean city streets
b
: worthy of little regard : contemptible
—often used in negative constructions as a term of praise
no mean feat
4
: lacking dignity or honor : base
a mean motive
5
6
: ashamed sense 1b
His ready cooperation made me feel mean for what I had said.
1
: occupying a middle position : intermediate in space, order, time, kind, or degree
2
3
: serving as a means : intermediary
1
a(1)
: something intervening or intermediate
(2)
: a middle point between extremes
b
: a value that lies within a range of values and is computed according to a prescribed law: such as
(1)
(2)
c
: either of the middle two terms of a proportion
2
means plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: something useful or helpful to a desired end
3
means plural
: resources available for disposal
especially
: material resources affording a secure life
Synonyms
Examples of mean in a Sentence
Verb
The season of backyard barbecues and lakeside cookouts is at hand, which in most parts of the country means an orgy of grilled steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs lasting until Labor Day and beyond.
—R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 5 June 2002
Even the water in the cave was free from surface contamination … which meant that all the water now in Lechugilla percolated into the cave before the widespread nuclear bomb testing of the 1940s …
—Jon Krakauer, Air & Space, October/November 1995
Home meant my father, with kind eyes, songs, and tense recitations for my brother and myself.
—Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993
The word meant one thing in Shakespeare's day, but it means something else now.
Red means “stop” and green means “go.”
Can you tell me what my dream means?
What was meant by the poet?
Don't distort what she meant by taking her words out of context.
He's very ambitious, and I mean that as a compliment.
It's a very easy question. Anyone, and I mean anyone, should be able to answer it.
She's not getting any thinner, if you know what I mean.
She says she didn't mean anything by what she did.
I don't trust him. He means no good.
Adjective (1)
For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.
—John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995
… the streets of Spanish Harlem are meaner than when he left them, and they're pulling him back in.
—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 1993
… what you discover is the one with the tail was old mean landlord Mr. prosperous Prospero who wielded without thought of God or man the merry old cat-o'-nine-tails …
—Darryl Pinckney, Times Literary Supplement, 23 Aug. 1991
Creighton Abrams was a tanker, according to George Patton the meanest tanker the Germans had faced in the whole U.S. Third Army, and he had a temper that matched the fearsome machines he loved.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
Noun
Take all these temperatures and calculate their mean.
trying to find a golden mean between doing too little and doing too much
R. W. Apple, Jr., New York Times, 5 June 2002
Even the water in the cave was free from surface contamination … which meant that all the water now in Lechugilla percolated into the cave before the widespread nuclear bomb testing of the 1940s …
—Jon Krakauer, Air & Space, October/November 1995
Home meant my father, with kind eyes, songs, and tense recitations for my brother and myself.
—Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993
The word meant one thing in Shakespeare's day, but it means something else now.
Red means “stop” and green means “go.”
Can you tell me what my dream means?
What was meant by the poet?
Don't distort what she meant by taking her words out of context.
He's very ambitious, and I mean that as a compliment.
It's a very easy question. Anyone, and I mean anyone, should be able to answer it.
She's not getting any thinner, if you know what I mean.
She says she didn't mean anything by what she did.
I don't trust him. He means no good.
Adjective (1)
For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.
—John Grisham, The Chamber, 1995
… the streets of Spanish Harlem are meaner than when he left them, and they're pulling him back in.
—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 1993
… what you discover is the one with the tail was old mean landlord Mr. prosperous Prospero who wielded without thought of God or man the merry old cat-o'-nine-tails …
—Darryl Pinckney, Times Literary Supplement, 23 Aug. 1991
Creighton Abrams was a tanker, according to George Patton the meanest tanker the Germans had faced in the whole U.S. Third Army, and he had a temper that matched the fearsome machines he loved.
—Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
Noun
Take all these temperatures and calculate their mean.
trying to find a golden mean between doing too little and doing too much
Recent Examples on the WebDanny Nguyen, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
But this doesn’t mean a producer will always be able to input footage into an AI model without consent.
—Dan Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Advertisement West’s choice means at least three women from California are running for vice president — Abdullah, Vice President Kamala Harris and Nicole Shanahan, selected by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
As the weather has gotten warmer in Ukraine and the heating season is over, the country is still not generating enough power to meet the overall demand from consumers, meaning there are rolling power cuts for millions of people in several regions.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
But this slipperiness also means that quite a lot of the bands now producing Khruangbin-vibesy music are entirely forgettable.
—Ryan Bradley MacLeod Andrews Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
This means that the interests of the client are the top priority, and no other interests of any other parties (including those of the CFP), can be put before them.
—Jordan Priddy, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Skipping a year means that the shows will be refreshed, and the programming for the convention won’t be just be a repeat of 2023’s BravoCon.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The primary difference is that Sarcophagus is built atop crypto technology, meaning the contents of users’ documents are never visible to a third party and that the availability of their payloads does not depend on the service provider remaining in operation.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2024
For these reasons, the mean household income (which is the same as average household income) dataset is crucial because the Census Bureau has exact figures for it.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Some kids are polite and respectful while others are mean and disruptive.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
This translates to a mean annual salary of $55,000, with a higher salary range up to $96,000, with the lowest salaries at $27,000.
—Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
In Glenview, the median household income is over $250,000, while its mean household income of $508,303, which is the highest in Kentucky.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
But some Parisians are concerned that regeneration may, in fact, mean gentrification.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Creating delicious yet unpretentious restaurants is their secret sauce (well, that and a mean marinara), and San Sabino is no exception.
—Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
Price, a mean string player in his own right, is a 10-year veteran of the Turtle Island String Quartet and the music director of the Space Orchestra and a composer with a long list of contributions to various Bay Area ensembles.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
The Department of Justice estimates that there are over 20,000 unlicensed sellers who are selling firearms through online advertisements, gun shows and other means, according to the White House.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
While many ocean energy projects think big, laying large buoys that convert waves into electricity through mechanical means, there is another approach to developing wave energy: going small.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Apr. 2024
Often, those experiencing homelessness come to Kansas City from both sides of the state line because of the city’s concentration of resources, Watson said; the city shouldn’t be punished financially for having the means to take more people in.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
For decades, incoming students had been evaluated for conditions such as scoliosis by means of a medical exam, which came to incorporate photography to create a visual record.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
This combined with the beach culture down under means that Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Another explanation is possible, of course: that people are spending beyond their means.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024
Opaque wooden or canvas covers began to fall out of favor toward the 17th century, possibly as glass barriers rose in popularity as another means of protection (if not disguise), Nogueira noted.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
The pandemic’s upheaval has left vacant commercial real estate in its wake, but that doesn’t mean the need for affordable housing has declined, Chapman said.
—Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
But this doesn’t mean a producer will always be able to input footage into an AI model without consent.
—Dan Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Advertisement West’s choice means at least three women from California are running for vice president — Abdullah, Vice President Kamala Harris and Nicole Shanahan, selected by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
As the weather has gotten warmer in Ukraine and the heating season is over, the country is still not generating enough power to meet the overall demand from consumers, meaning there are rolling power cuts for millions of people in several regions.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
But this slipperiness also means that quite a lot of the bands now producing Khruangbin-vibesy music are entirely forgettable.
—Ryan Bradley MacLeod Andrews Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
This means that the interests of the client are the top priority, and no other interests of any other parties (including those of the CFP), can be put before them.
—Jordan Priddy, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Skipping a year means that the shows will be refreshed, and the programming for the convention won’t be just be a repeat of 2023’s BravoCon.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The primary difference is that Sarcophagus is built atop crypto technology, meaning the contents of users’ documents are never visible to a third party and that the availability of their payloads does not depend on the service provider remaining in operation.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The mean tidal current speed is 1.94 feet per second averaged across the whole tide cycle but would be faster at some times of the month than others and generally would be faster in mid-channel than along banks.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2024
For these reasons, the mean household income (which is the same as average household income) dataset is crucial because the Census Bureau has exact figures for it.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Some kids are polite and respectful while others are mean and disruptive.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
This translates to a mean annual salary of $55,000, with a higher salary range up to $96,000, with the lowest salaries at $27,000.
—Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
In Glenview, the median household income is over $250,000, while its mean household income of $508,303, which is the highest in Kentucky.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
But some Parisians are concerned that regeneration may, in fact, mean gentrification.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Creating delicious yet unpretentious restaurants is their secret sauce (well, that and a mean marinara), and San Sabino is no exception.
—Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
Price, a mean string player in his own right, is a 10-year veteran of the Turtle Island String Quartet and the music director of the Space Orchestra and a composer with a long list of contributions to various Bay Area ensembles.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
He was charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive.
—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
The Department of Justice estimates that there are over 20,000 unlicensed sellers who are selling firearms through online advertisements, gun shows and other means, according to the White House.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
While many ocean energy projects think big, laying large buoys that convert waves into electricity through mechanical means, there is another approach to developing wave energy: going small.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Apr. 2024
Often, those experiencing homelessness come to Kansas City from both sides of the state line because of the city’s concentration of resources, Watson said; the city shouldn’t be punished financially for having the means to take more people in.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
For decades, incoming students had been evaluated for conditions such as scoliosis by means of a medical exam, which came to incorporate photography to create a visual record.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
This combined with the beach culture down under means that Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Another explanation is possible, of course: that people are spending beyond their means.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024
Opaque wooden or canvas covers began to fall out of favor toward the 17th century, possibly as glass barriers rose in popularity as another means of protection (if not disguise), Nogueira noted.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mean
Cite this Entry
“Mean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mean. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mean
1 of 4 adjective1
: lacking distinction or prominence : humble
2
: of poor, shabby, or inferior quality or status
lives in mean surroundings
3
: worthy of little regard : inferior
—often used in negative constructions as a term of praise
a person of no mean ability
4
: deliberately unkind
5
7
: causing trouble or bother
a mean horse
8
: excellent
plays a mean trumpet
meanly
adverb
meanness
noun
ˈmēn-nəs
mean
2 of 4 verb
meant
ˈment
; meaning
ˈmē-niŋ
mean
3 of 4 adjective1
: holding a middle position : intermediate
2
a
: lying about midway between extremes
b
: being the mean of a set of values : average
mean temperature
mean
4 of 4 noun1
: a middle point between extremes
2
a
: a value that represents a range of values
especially
: arithmetic mean
b
: either of the middle two terms of a proportion
3
plural
: something by which a desired result is achieved or furthered
means of production
use any means you can
4
plural
: wealth sense 1
a person of means
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English mene, imene "held in common, inferior," from Old English gemǣne "held in common"
Verb
Old English mǣnan "to have in mind, intend"
Adjective
Middle English mene "being in a middle position," from early French meiene (same meaning), from Latin medianus "being in the middle" — related to median entry 1
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