mean
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
idioms
adjective
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offensive, selfish, or unaccommodating; nasty; malicious.
a mean remark;
He gets mean when he doesn't get his way.
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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.
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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
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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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(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,
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available resources, especially money.
They lived beyond their means.
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considerable financial resources; riches.
a man of means.
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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
idioms
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by any means, in any way; at all.
We were not surprised at the news by any means.
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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,
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(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
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poor or shabby
mean clothing
a mean abode
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informal bad-tempered; vicious
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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
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-
of high quality
no mean performer
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difficult
no mean feat
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verb
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(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to intend to convey or express
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(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
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
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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:
For example, huge productivity gains from AI could mean “you’re actually laying off workers rather than running after them” despite the shrinking labor pool, said Acemoglu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“I mean, it’s not McDonald’s. You can’t have it your way over here.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
"I get on the subway with my big bag and go home with my cheap groceries. I mean, I'm so happy. This is amazing," Porter said.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
But what does the term “ultra” even mean?
From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026
“But Picnic is something—well, Angelina didn’t grow up here, so it don’t mean the same thing to her. And she always felt people were staring at her.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
As Rizzo’s study notes, this also means that the interactions with different people and cultures that used to happen organically in neighborhoods and in social spaces are increasingly being replaced by digital simulation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
That means there are no resales or returns.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
That means the body should already have a head start if it encounters Ebolavirus for real.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
While the looseness of non-GAAP metrics is a decades-old problem, the sheer size of the latest earnings-growth forecasts means it is taking on renewed importance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Most people just see physics as numbers and letters on paper. But I see how those formulas show limits, boundaries. Of movement, gravity. Knowing means working with it, instead of against it.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
The soccer world is about to become a colder, darker and meaner place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
“Rowdy is just going to get meaner and meaner,” Mr. P said.
From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
"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
Yet none found the back of the net, leaving the game to be decided on penalties, the cruelest, meanest, most unfair — and most exciting — way to determine a winner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
Readers eventually learn how Odd, whom Buddy describes as “the meanest human creature in my experience,” ends up at Buddy’s home for the holiday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
He was the meanest old goose that ever honked a honk.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Van der Velden disputes the idea that Tilly is meant to replace actors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Japanese player had a share of the lead alongside Ryu heading down the 18th, but a missed birdie putt meant she ended the tournament in third at 18 under overall.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Back then, being in your 40s meant that your life was, for the most part, settled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
For Peil, who last year completed a traineeship at tyre-maker and industrial supplier Continental before it spun off its automotive business, the crisis meant it was clear he would not be taken on.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
I meant to leave it at that, but impulsively I said, “Not today.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
The work was presented as a scientific meeting abstract, meaning it has not yet undergone peer review or been published as a full journal paper.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
The game's immense popularity sometimes also meant "servers buckled under the strain", said Reynolds, meaning connectivity problems were "rife for some time".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“The Constitution is an enduring document,” wrote Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, but its rules and meaning must adjust to “modern situations that were unknown or unanticipated by the Constitution’s Framers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
The firings leave the four-member commission with no commissioners, meaning it cannot take official action until new members are installed.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Some information technology experts warned that computers would not be able to distinguish the correct meaning of 00, resulting in widespread failure of vital infrastructures.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
