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mean

1
[ meen ]
/ min /
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See synonyms for: mean / meaner / meanest / meaning on Thesaurus.com

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.
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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

1
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

Other definitions for mean (2 of 3)

mean2
[ meen ]
/ min /

adjective, mean·er, mean·est.

Origin of mean

2
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
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

3
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

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, 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
  1. the second and third terms of a proportion, as b and c in a/b = c/d
  2. 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)

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.)

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.
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