intend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
intends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intended,
past participle, past
-
intending
present participle
-
to have in mind as something to be done or brought about; plan.
We intend to leave in a month.
- Synonyms:
- purpose, aim, expect, contemplate
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to design or mean for a particular purpose, use, recipient, etc..
a fund intended for emergency use only.
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to design to express or indicate, as by one's words; refer to.
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(of words, terms, statements, etc.) to mean or signify.
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Archaic. to direct (the eyes, mind, etc.).
verb (used without object)
-
intends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
intended,
past participle, past
-
intending
present participle
-
to have a purpose or design.
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Obsolete. to set out on one's course.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to propose or plan (something or to do something); have in mind; mean
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to design or destine (for a certain purpose, person, etc)
that shot was intended for the President
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(tr) to mean to express or indicate
what do his words intend?
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(intr) to have a purpose as specified; mean
he intends well
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archaic (tr) to direct or turn (the attention, eyes, etc)
Synonym Usage
Intend, mean, design, propose imply knowing what one wishes to do and setting this as a goal. To intend is to have in mind something to be done or brought about: No offense was intended. Mean is a less formal word than intend but otherwise a close synonym: He means to go away. Design implies planning to effect a particular result: to design a plan for Christmas decorations. Propose suggests setting up a program for oneself or offering it to others for consideration: We propose to beautify our city.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intendsimple
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intendssimple
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have intendedperfect
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has intendedperfect
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am intendingprogressive
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are intendingprogressive
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is intendingprogressive
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have been intendingperfect progressive
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has been intendingperfect progressive
Past
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intendedsimple
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had intendedperfect
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was intendingprogressive
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were intendingprogressive
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had been intendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of intend
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin intendere “to aim, assert, stretch out”; equivalent to in- 2 + tend 1; replacing Middle English entenden, from Old French entendre, from Latin, as above
Explanation
If you intend to do something, you mean to do it or have it in mind as a goal. Do you plan on getting your holiday cards in the mail before February this year? Then you intend on getting them out early. The world is full of good intentions, meaning there are lots of people who intend to be nice, eat better, floss more, or pick up their dirty socks. But things don't always go as planned. Your actions could produce results that you didn't expect, specify, or ever intend — that might explain the well-known proverb, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
Vocabulary lists containing intend
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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:
“We have asked the Court to overturn the verdict and intend to vigorously pursue all available post-trial and appellate remedies,” Joby said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
If officials didn’t intend to raise rates as quickly as markets expected, “then you need to bring down expectations,” Rosengren said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
By now, many Black Democrats have made clear that they intend on voting for him.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
Is the purpose of this IRA to fund your retirement, or is it more of a back-up account you intend to eventually leave to your loved ones or a charity?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
“When I was asked to come down here I was asked to march with the other women of our state, and I intend to do so or not take part in the parade at all.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
What Hegseth intends to do would indeed be shameful.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
Marques's office told AFP that he intends to submit the matter to the full court after the runoff election on October 25 between Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Tuike Finland, the company behind Google's data centre projects, has been asked to provide an explanation and set out how it intends to proceed by 14 October.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
He still intends to “share a few cool things I found with some people on Twitter,” he says, but he is winding things down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
They say he intends to remake the Austrian town of Linz into an empyrean city, the cultural capital of the world.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
DeKloe, the Sierra Club leader, called it a “weasel tactic” intended to bypass a countywide vote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
“These measures are intended to reduce potential flooding impacts, but cannot eliminate all flood risks,” the city said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
The ECI has rejected allegations of impropriety, saying the revision was intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Initially, Leading the Future “definitely intended to deploy the same playbook” as Fairshake, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
That’s right, Big Mama Bear is always showing the whole world how to, no pun intended, find its bearings.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
That’s insufficient under state law to support a vested mining interest — intending to mine there eventually isn’t enough, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
According to the initial findings of investigators, the suspect entered Poland from Germany overnight Wednesday-Thursday, intending to travel on to Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
People roll a portion of their balance to an IRA to “get started,” fully intending to deal with the stock later.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Mr. Riley’s footnote on this malapropism: “Surely Hastert is intending to say ‘algorithms.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Then I take one of the books, intending to read, and turn over the leaves.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
