intention

American  

[in-ten-shuhn] / ɪnˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

• intentions
  plural

1. an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.

2. the end or object intended; purpose.

   Synonyms:

   goal

3. intentions,

   1. purpose or attitude toward the effect of one's actions or conduct.

      a bungler with good intentions.

   2. purpose or attitude with respect to marriage.

      Our friends are beginning to ask what our intentions are.

4. the act or fact of intending.

5. Logic.

   1. Also called first intention, primary intention. reference by signs, concepts, etc., to concrete things, their properties, classes, or the relationships among them.

   2. Also called second intention, secondary intention. reference to properties, classes, or the relationships among first intentions.

6. Surgery, Medicine/Medical. a manner or process of healing, as in the healing of a lesion or fracture without granulation healing by first intention or the healing of a wound by granulation after suppuration healing by second intention.

7. meaning or significance.

   The intention of his words was clear.

8. the person or thing meant to benefit from a prayer or religious offering.

9. Archaic. intentness.

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intention British  

/ ɪnˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. a purpose or goal; aim

   it is his intention to reform

2. law the resolve or design with which a person does or refrains from doing an act, a necessary ingredient of certain offences

3. med a natural healing process, as by first intention , in which the edges of a wound cling together with no tissue between, or by second intention , in which the wound edges adhere with granulation tissue

4. (usually plural) design or purpose with respect to a proposal of marriage (esp in the phrase honourable intentions )

5. an archaic word for meaning intentness

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Synonym Usage

Intention, intent, purpose all refer to a wish that one means to carry out. Intention is the general word: His intention is good. Intent is chiefly legal or literary: attack with intent to kill. Purpose implies having a goal or determination to achieve something: Her strong sense of purpose is reflected in her studies.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misintention
  noun
• preintention
  noun
• subintention
  noun
• intentionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intentions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intention

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English intencio(u)n, from Latin intentiōn- (stem of intentiō ). See intent ², -ion

Explanation

An intention is idea that you plan (or intend) to carry out. If you mean something, it's an intention. Your goal, purpose, or aim is your intention. It's something you mean to do, whether you pull it off or not. You may have the best intention of cooking an incredible meal, but if you leave the burner on and burn the house down, you will not be remembered as an excellent chef. When a father asks his daughter's boyfriend "What are your intentions?" that means something specific: Does he want to marry her?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intention intentions

He bought the vehicle on the cheap with the intention of fixing it up himself.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

“We have options we are looking at in Europe. We have every intention of establishing our business in Europe and expanding from there.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

She launched her “soft sculpture” company, STFD, in 2024 with the intention of transforming her inner thoughts into plush form — no matter how outside the box those ideas may be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The background for this exchange was the August decision Bessent had announced the Treasury department’s intention to increase the size of its bond-buyback program to contain rising yields.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

“I have no intention of cleaning it up,” Lady Constance replied, momentarily thrown.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Using Artex for cyberattacks was "entirely contrary to" the developer's intentions, they added, without referring directly to the alleged South Korean cases.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Model alignment is a term commonly used by researchers to describe AI that acts in ways that match human intentions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"We have had no discussions about this. The Tennessee attorney general's office so far has not given us any indications of what their intentions will be."

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

What Goldie suggests instead is to write down a set of intentions in your retirement policy.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

“Can you really tell a person’s intentions just by looking at them?” asks a red-faced boy with a gulp.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Related Words

• aim
• hope
• motive
• objective
• plan
• purpose