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Mean Vs. Median Vs. Mode Vs. Average
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mean

[ meen ]

/ min /

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See synonyms for: mean / meaner / meanest / meaning on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), meant, mean·ing.

to have in mind as one's purpose or intention: I meant to compliment you on your work.

to intend for a particular purpose, destination, etc.:They were meant for each other.

to intend to express or indicate: What do you mean by “liberal”?

to have as its sense or signification; signify: The word “freedom” means many things to many people.

to bring, cause, or produce as a result: This bonus means that we can take a trip to Florida.

to have (certain intentions) toward a person: He didn't mean you any harm.

to have the value of; assume the importance of: Money means everything to them. She means the world to him.

verb (used without object), meant, mean·ing.

to be minded or disposed; have intentions: Beware, she means ill, despite her solicitous manner.

OTHER WORDS FOR mean

1 intend, plan, aim, have in mind, contemplate.

2 destine, foreordain.

4 denote, indicate; import, imply, connote.

See synonyms for mean on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about mean

mean well, to have good intentions; try to be kind or helpful: Her constant queries about your health must be tiresome, but I'm sure she means well.

Origin of mean

First recorded before 900; Middle English menen, Old English mǣnan; cognate with German meinen, Dutch meenen

synonym study for mean

1. See intend.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mean

mean , mien

Words nearby mean

mealtime, mealworm, mealy, mealybug, mealy-mouthed, mean, mean anomaly, mean business, meander, meandering, meandering stream

Other definitions for mean (2 of 3)

mean²

[ meen ]

/ min /

adjective, mean·er, mean·est.

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.

penurious, stingy, or miserly: a person who is mean about money.

inferior in grade, quality, or character: no mean reward.

low in status, rank, or dignity: mean servitors.

of little importance or consequence: mean little details.

unimposing or shabby: a mean abode.

small, humiliated, or ashamed: You should feel mean for being so stingy.

Informal. in poor physical condition.

troublesome or vicious; bad-tempered: a mean old horse.

Slang. skillful or impressive: He blows a mean trumpet.

OTHER WORDS FOR mean

2 contemptible, despicable.

3 close, tight, parsimonious, illiberal, ungenerous, selfish.

5 common, humble; undignified, plebeian.

6 inconsequential, insignificant, petty, paltry, little, poor.

7 squalid, poor.

See synonyms for mean on Thesaurus.com

Origin of mean

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

synonym study for mean

2. 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. 3. See stingy¹.

Other definitions for mean (3 of 3)

mean³

[ meen ]

/ min /

noun

Usually means .(used with a singular or plural verb) 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.

means,

available resources, especially money: They lived beyond their means.
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.

Mathematics.

a quantity having a value intermediate between the values of other quantities; an average, especially the arithmetic mean.
either the second or third term in a proportion of four terms.

Statistics. expected value. See mathematical expectation (def. 2).

Logic. the middle term in a syllogism.

adjective

occupying a middle position or an intermediate place, as in kind, quality, degree, or time: a mean speed; a mean course; the mean annual rainfall.

Origin of mean

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mean

mean , median

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MEAN VS. MEDIAN VS. MODE VS. AVERAGE

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.

Quiz yourself on mean vs. median vs. mode vs. average!

Should mean, median, mode, or average be used in the following sentence?

The most frequently repeated test score is 80, so it’s the _____ of the set.

How to use mean in a sentence

The term “off-roading” means different things to different people.
Three Family-Friendly Adventures to Try This Fall|Outside Editors|September 17, 2020|Outside Online
The most recent data, through Tuesday, indicates that about 53 percent of deaths have occurred in blue states — meaning that 47 percent have occurred in red ones.
Trump blames blue states for the coronavirus death toll — but most recent deaths have been in red states|Philip Bump|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Some states are also mandated to remove voters deemed “inactive,” meaning they didn’t respond to a mailer sent to confirm their address and haven’t voted in the last few elections.
ProPublica’s Pandemic Guide to Making Sure Your Vote Counts|by Susie Armitage|September 16, 2020|ProPublica
I mean, I thought I’d take it right off the table right this very minute.
Trump, in town hall, says he wouldn’t have done anything differently on pandemic|Colby Itkowitz, Josh Dawsey, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post

One doctor said some patients attacked their peers or employees as a way to get out of the hospital, even if it meant going to jail.
Still No Answers to Lawmakers’ Questions About Children Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals|by Duaa Eldeib|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
I mean, physically, mentally, you know, in every way, shape, and form.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What they actually mean by that is, you know, he actually knows some people that are poor.
Why This Liberal Hearts Huckabee|Sally Kohn|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What does Bondi mean that clerks now should “determine how to proceed”?
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over|Jay Michaelson|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What is most troubling is our – and I do mean “our” and not “their” – never treating these situations as learning opportunities.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They want Marvin to be as mean and as lonely and as trashy as the characters he portrays.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Hilda, trembling at the door, more than half expected Mr. Orgreave to say: "You mean, she's invited herself."
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
He wanted to tell her that if she called her father, it would mean the end of everything for them, but he withheld this.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
It was difficult, with the mean appliances of the time, to wring subsistence from the reluctant earth.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
With Bacon, experientia does not always mean observation; and may mean either experience or experiment.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
My husband detests them; on the contrary, I like those carriages, for they tell me of happy—I mean to say, of former times.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various

British Dictionary definitions for mean (1 of 3)

mean¹

/ (miːn) /

verb means, meaning or meant (mainly tr)

(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to intend to convey or express

(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) intendshe didn't mean to hurt it

(may take a clause as object) to say or do in all seriousnessthe boss means what he says about strikes

(often passive often foll by for) to destine or design (for a certain person or purpose)she was meant for greater things

(may take a clause as object) to denote or connote; signify; representexamples help show exactly what a word means

(may take a clause as object) to produce; causethe weather will mean long traffic delays

(may take a clause as object) to foretell; portendthose dark clouds mean rain

to have the importance ofmoney means nothing to him

(intr) to have the intention of behaving or acting (esp in the phrases mean well or mean ill)

mean business to be in earnest

Word Origin for mean

Old English mænan; compare Old Saxon mēnian to intend, Dutch meenen

usage for mean

In standard English, mean should not be followed by for when expressing intention: I didn't mean this to happen (not I didn't mean for this to happen)

British Dictionary definitions for mean (2 of 3)

mean²

/ (miːn) /

adjective

mainly British miserly, ungenerous, or petty

humble, obscure, or lowlyhe rose from mean origins to high office

despicable, ignoble, or callousa mean action

poor or shabbymean clothing; a mean abode

informal, mainly US and Canadian bad-tempered; vicious

informal ashamedhe felt mean about not letting the children go to the zoo

informal, mainly US unwell; in low spirits

slang excellent; skilfulhe plays a mean trombone

no mean

of high qualityno mean performer
difficultno mean feat

Derived forms of mean

meanly, adverbmeanness, noun

Word Origin for mean

C12: from Old English gemǣne common; related to Old High German gimeini, Latin communis common, at first with no pejorative sense

British Dictionary definitions for mean (3 of 3)

mean³

/ (miːn) /

noun

the middle point, state, or course between limits or extremes

moderation

maths

the second and third terms of a proportion, as b and c in a/b = c/d
another name for average (def. 2) See also geometric mean

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

intermediate or medium in size, quantity, etc

occurring halfway between extremes or limits; average

Word Origin for mean

C14: via Anglo-Norman from Old French moien, from Late Latin mediānus median

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mean

mean

[ mēn ]

A number or quantity having a value that is intermediate between other numbers or quantities, especially an arithmetic mean or average. See more at arithmetic mean.

Either the second or third term of a proportion of four terms. In the proportion 23 = 46, the means are 3 and 4. Compare extreme.

Cultural definitions for mean (1 of 2)

mean

An average in statistics. (See under “Physical Sciences and Mathematics.”)

Cultural definitions for mean (2 of 2)

mean

In statistics, an average of a group of numbers or data points. With a group of numbers, the mean is obtained by adding them and dividing by the number of numbers in the group. Thus the mean of five, seven, and twelve is eight (twenty-four divided by three). (Compare median and mode.)

Other Idioms and Phrases with mean

mean

In addition to the idioms beginning with mean

mean business
mean to

, also see under

means

mean

OTHER WORDS FOR mean

Idioms about mean

Origin of mean

synonym study for mean

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mean

Words nearby mean

Other definitions for mean (2 of 3)

OTHER WORDS FOR mean

Origin of mean

synonym study for mean

Other definitions for mean (3 of 3)

Origin of mean

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mean

MEAN VS. MEDIAN VS. MODE VS. AVERAGE

What’s the difference between mean, median, mode, and average?

Quiz yourself on mean vs. median vs. mode vs. average!

Words related to mean

How to use mean in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mean (1 of 3)

Word Origin for mean

usage for mean

British Dictionary definitions for mean (2 of 3)

Derived forms of mean

Word Origin for mean

British Dictionary definitions for mean (3 of 3)

Word Origin for mean

Scientific definitions for mean

Cultural definitions for mean (1 of 2)

Cultural definitions for mean (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with mean