mean
1[ meen ]
/ min /
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verb (used with object), meant, mean·ing.
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
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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
1First 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 , mienOther definitions for mean (2 of 3)
mean2
[ meen ]
/ min /
adjective, mean·er, mean·est.
OTHER WORDS FOR mean
Origin of mean
2synonym 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
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
3First 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 , medianDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mean in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for mean (1 of 3)
mean1
/ (miːn) /
verb means, meaning or meant (mainly tr)
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
Derived forms of mean
meanly, adverbmeanness, nounWord 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
See also means
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for mean (1 of 2)
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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with mean
mean
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.