dean
dean
1 American
[deen]
/ din /
noun
-
deans
plural
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Education.
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the head of a faculty, school, or administrative division in a university or college.
the dean of admissions.
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an official in an American college or secondary school having charge of student personnel services, such as counseling or discipline.
the dean of men.
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the official in charge of undergraduate students at an English university.
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Ecclesiastical.
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the head of the chapter of a cathedral or a collegiate church.
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Also called vicar forane. a priest in the Roman Catholic Church appointed by a bishop to take care of the affairs of a division of a diocese.
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the senior member, in length of service, of any group, organization, profession, etc..
the dean of lexicographers.
Dean
2
American
[deen]
/ din /
noun
-
James (Byron), 1931–55, U.S. actor.
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Jay Hanna Dizzy, 1911–74, U.S. baseball pitcher.
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a male given name: from the Old English family name meaning “valley.”
dean
1
British
/ diːn /
noun
-
the chief administrative official of a college or university faculty
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(at Oxford and Cambridge universities) a college fellow with responsibility for undergraduate discipline
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Church of England the head of a chapter of canons and administrator of a cathedral or collegiate church
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RC Church the cardinal bishop senior by consecration and head of the college of cardinals See also rural dean
Dean
2
British
/ diːn /
noun
-
Christopher. See Torvill and Dean
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James ( Byron ). 1931–55, US film actor, who became a cult figure; his films include East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause (both 1955). He died in a car crash
Dean
3
British
/ diːn /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dean
1300–50; Middle English deen < Anglo-French deen, dean, Old French deien < Late Latin decānus chief of ten, equivalent to Latin dec ( em ) ten + -ānus -an
Explanation
A dean is the head of a specific area of a college, university, or private school. When you're thinking about studying in Madagascar for a semester, you might make an appointment to talk to the study abroad dean. Individual colleges within a larger university system often have separate deans, like the dean of the medical school and the dean of arts and sciences. Within the college, there might also be a dean for each separate year, like the sophomore class dean, and deans for different offices or departments. Dean comes from the Latin decanus, first "commander of ten soldiers," and then "head of ten monks in a monastery," from the Greek word for "ten," deka.
Vocabulary lists containing dean
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
SDU dean Jakob Grauslund said the trial had never started, no babies had been enrolled and no vaccinations administered as part of the research.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
People in Upper Midwest states might pay less, but households in Southern and Gulf Coast states might end up paying more, said Alexis Abramson, dean of the Columbia Climate School.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
He became a dean at Cornell in 2007 and provost in 2015.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Danny Stockli, dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences and a co-author of the study, said zircon U-Pb dating offers one of the most accurate ways to determine when events occurred deep in Earth's past.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
He felt that if he could only persuade his Guenever to make a dean break with the King, so that everything was in the open, there might still be a possibility of honour.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The electoral commission also sought to calm tensions, with its acting director general Dean Livne saying any suggestion of widespread issues was "entirely groundless".
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
His project, rather, is an examination of the deaths of two hikers, Dean Pommerville and Eric Straughter, in the 1.3 million acre Gifford Pinchot National Forest in December 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
H. Dean Steward, a defense attorney who filed a renewed motion in August challenging Essayli’s authority, called the decision “a victory for the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The property was sold to luxury developer Dean McKillen, son of Irish businessman Paddy McKillen.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
I walk into town to the post office and call Dean Wilkins.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
She says she has “asked the deans to convene students and faculty to establish classroom principles that foster intellectual openness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
As part of the role, monarchs are responsible for approving the appointment of archbishops, bishops and deans on the recommendation of the prime minister.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
After hearing from February test takers, law school deans and leaders of the State Bar, the Senate committee approved an independent review of the exam by the California State Auditor.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2025
“We understand that the initial departure from the nationally used MBE was prompted by budgetary considerations caused in part by the need to rent large spaces for test-takers,” the deans wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2025
Twelve o’clock: I resumed my studies in the attic, reading about deans, priests, ministers, popes and...whew, it was one o’clock!
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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