mean
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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means,
present (3rd person singular)
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meant,
past participle, past
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meaning
present participle
-
to have in mind as one's purpose or intention.
I meant to compliment you on your work.
- Synonyms:
- contemplate, aim, plan, intend
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to intend for a particular purpose, destination, etc..
They were meant for each other.
- Synonyms:
- foreordain, destine
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to intend to express or indicate.
What do you mean by “liberal”?
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to have as its sense or signification; signify.
The word “freedom” means many things to many people.
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to bring, cause, or produce as a result.
This bonus means that we can take a trip to Florida.
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to have (certain intentions) toward a person.
He didn't mean you any harm.
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to have the value of; assume the importance of.
Money means everything to them. She means the world to him.
verb (used without object)
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means,
present (3rd person singular)
-
meant,
past participle, past
-
meaning
present participle
idioms
adjective
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meaner,
comparative
-
meanest
superlative
-
offensive, selfish, or unaccommodating; nasty; malicious.
a mean remark;
He gets mean when he doesn't get his way.
-
small-minded or ignoble.
mean motives.
- Synonyms:
- despicable, contemptible
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penurious, stingy, or miserly.
a person who is mean about money.
- Synonyms:
- selfish, ungenerous, illiberal, parsimonious, tight, close
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inferior in grade, quality, or character.
no mean reward.
-
low in status, rank, or dignity.
mean servitors.
- Synonyms:
- plebeian, undignified, humble, common
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of little importance or consequence.
mean little details.
- Synonyms:
- poor, little, paltry, petty, insignificant, inconsequential
-
unimposing or shabby.
a mean abode.
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small, humiliated, or ashamed.
You should feel mean for being so stingy.
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Informal. in poor physical condition.
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troublesome or vicious; bad-tempered.
a mean old horse.
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Slang. skillful or impressive.
He blows a mean trumpet.
noun
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means
plural
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(used with a singular or plural verb) Usually means an agency, instrument, or method used to attain an end.
The telephone is a means of communication. There are several means of solving the problem.
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means,
-
available resources, especially money.
They lived beyond their means.
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considerable financial resources; riches.
a man of means.
-
-
something that is midway between two extremes; something intermediate.
to seek a mean between cynicism and blind faith.
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Mathematics.
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a quantity having a value intermediate between the values of other quantities; an average, especially the arithmetic mean.
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either the second or third term in a proportion of four terms.
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Statistics. expected value. See mathematical expectation.
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Logic. the middle term in a syllogism.
adjective
-
meaner,
comparative
-
meanest
superlative
idioms
-
by any means, in any way; at all.
We were not surprised at the news by any means.
-
by means of, with the help of; by the agency of; through.
We crossed the stream by means of a log.
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by no means, in no way; not at all.
The prize is by no means certain.
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by all means,
-
(in emphasis) certainly.
Go, by all means.
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at any cost; without fail.
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adjective
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miserly, ungenerous, or petty
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humble, obscure, or lowly
he rose from mean origins to high office
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despicable, ignoble, or callous
a mean action
-
poor or shabby
mean clothing
a mean abode
-
informal bad-tempered; vicious
-
informal ashamed
he felt mean about not letting the children go to the zoo
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informal unwell; in low spirits
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slang excellent; skilful
he plays a mean trombone
-
-
of high quality
no mean performer
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difficult
no mean feat
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noun
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the middle point, state, or course between limits or extremes
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moderation
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maths
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the second and third terms of a proportion, as b and c in a/b = c/d
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another name for average See also geometric mean
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statistics a statistic obtained by multiplying each possible value of a variable by its probability and then taking the sum or integral over the range of the variable
adjective
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intermediate or medium in size, quantity, etc
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occurring halfway between extremes or limits; average
verb
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(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to intend to convey or express
-
(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) intend
she didn't mean to hurt it
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(may take a clause as object) to say or do in all seriousness
the boss means what he says about strikes
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to destine or design (for a certain person or purpose)
she was meant for greater things
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(may take a clause as object) to denote or connote; signify; represent
examples help show exactly what a word means
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(may take a clause as object) to produce; cause
the weather will mean long traffic delays
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(may take a clause as object) to foretell; portend
those dark clouds mean rain
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to have the importance of
money means nothing to him
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(intr) to have the intention of behaving or acting (esp in the phrases mean well or mean ill )
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to be in earnest
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A number or quantity having a value that is intermediate between other numbers or quantities, especially an arithmetic mean or average.
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See more at arithmetic mean
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Either the second or third term of a proportion of four terms. In the proportion 2/3 = 4/6, the means are 3 and 4.
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Compare extreme
Usage
What’s the difference between mean, median, mode, and average? In the context of mathematics and statistics, the word mean refers to what’s informally called the average—the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values. In contrast, the median is the middle number in a set of values when those values are arranged from smallest to largest, while the mode of a set of values is the most frequently repeated value in the set. The word average is of course also very commonly used in more general ways. In math, though, it’s helpful to use more specific terms when determining the most representative or common value in a set of numbers. To illustrate the difference, let’s look at an example set of seven values: 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9. To get the mean of this set, you’d add up all the values (2+3+3+4+6+8+9=35) and then divide that total by the number of values (7), resulting in a mean of 5. This is what most people are referring to when they refer to the average of some set of numbers. To find the median, you have to find the one that’s sequentially in the middle. In a set of seven numbers arranged in increasing value, the median is the fourth number (since there are three before and three after). In this set (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9), the median is 4. When a set has an even number of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values. The mode is simply the value that shows up the most. In the example set, the mode is 3, since it occurs twice and all the other values occur only once. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between mean, median, mode, and average.
Synonym Usage
See intend.
Mean, low, base, sordid, and vile all refer to ignoble characteristics worthy of dislike, contempt, or disgust. Mean suggests pettiness and small-mindedness: to take a mean advantage. Low suggests coarseness and vulgarity: low company. Base suggests selfish cowardice or moral depravity: base motives. Sordid suggests a wretched uncleanness, or sometimes an avariciousness without dignity or moral scruples: a sordid slum; sordid gain. Vile suggests disgusting foulness or repulsiveness: vile insinuation; a vile creature. See stingy 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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meansimple
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meanssimple
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have meantperfect
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has meantperfect
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am meaningprogressive
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are meaningprogressive
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is meaningprogressive
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have been meaningperfect progressive
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has been meaningperfect progressive
Past
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meantsimple
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had meantperfect
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was meaningprogressive
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were meaningprogressive
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had been meaningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mean1
First recorded before 900; Middle English menen, Old English mǣnan; cognate with German meinen, Dutch meenen
Origin of mean2
First recorded before 900; Middle English mene, variant of imene, imeane “held or shared in common,” Old English gemǣne “common, general, mutual”; cognate with Dutch gemeen, German gemein “common,” Gothic gamains “in common”; see origin at y-, common
Origin of mean3
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mene, meine, from Middle French meen, mean, variant of meien, from Latin mediānus “middle, in the middle”; see median
Explanation
If you got a fortune cookie with the message "Your future will contain many bananas," you might ask, "What on earth does that mean?" In other words, you wonder what the intention or meaning of the fortune might be. Mean is one of those ordinary, everyday words with lots of different meanings. The adjective mean can describe someone who's stingy or ungenerous, but it also means "unkind or unfair," which is what a little kid intends to convey when she yells at her mother, "You're mean!" In the sentence, "She lived in a mean little house," mean has yet another meaning, this time being "shabby or poor."
Vocabulary lists containing mean
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Psychology
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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:
But long-term rates can move for many reasons, including what investors think the latest economic data mean for future Fed moves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
He noted that the new corridor will also mean cleaner air for communities near the port and along the route, which bear the brunt of their pollution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
What remains stubbornly difficult is determining what any individual piece of information should mean to the person deciding what to put in her cart.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
However, there has also been significant movement out of the club and Watkins leaving would mean they had sold five of the starting XI who won the Europa League in May.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Sancho wanted to laugh but was afraid to; he'd seen his master get angry, and that could mean trouble.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
This means someone could go through much of life with flexible joints, but an "external environmental stressor" could come along, worsening everything.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
But who you surround yourself with is part of who you are, which means staffers can also create problems for the politicians they work for.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
"Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario -- then, now and always."
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Cities, counties and school districts in California say they rarely have the means to defend themselves against old claims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“It means you’re a tough nut to crack, Clare, and frankly, I am not a squirrel!”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The Financial Times's Danny Leigh dished out three stars, saying it paints a "portrait of tech rendering the young both sadder and meaner".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
BP’s “leaner meaner approach could pave the way for more sustainable payouts to shareholders” but investors will want some assurance on its spending plans, Nathan says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
In turn, increased efficiency allows them to be meaner toward prospective employees.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
His memory lapse hasn’t made folks meaner — it’s just made Paul unaccustomed to the hassle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
The wolf laughed, a sound like gravel rubbing against meaner gravel.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
And more than a few of my closest, meanest friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
"Candidates should not try to be the meanest sheriff."
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
But the standout character is "queen bee" Regina, head of the Plastics clique and the meanest of the mean girls.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
I was behind the wheel of the biggest, meanest, greenest, most American street-legal machine in existence.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025
That’s where he and his friends—all the biggest and meanest kids in school—liked to hang out.
From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon
“Liberal arts has never been more important in this era of AI — figuring out who are we and what are we meant to do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
He said when people understood the implications of a data centre and what it meant for them, "they're more willing to be more flexible".
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
That deal in turn was meant to facilitate broader talks to reopen the waterway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The Sept. 11 attacks and the advent of social media fundamentally changed the shape of country music and what it meant to be a chart-topper.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
I never liked when Grandma said that, because it usually meant I’d never get the answer.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The figure cannot be read as meaning El Ninos themselves are 36 percent stronger, because it measures the variability of the whole ocean-atmosphere system, in both the warm and cool directions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Breadth has recently been negative, meaning most stocks were actually declining as the index rose.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
The researchers directly imaged Betelgeuse B, meaning they detected light coming from the companion itself.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Low pressure remains in charge on Monday meaning strong winds and further showers, perhaps heaviest across the north of the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“What does it symbolize, what could it represent, or what do you associate it with? Could it be untangled or reorganized in some way to create another meaning or point in a direction?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
