DEFINITIONS
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meaning

[ mee-ning ]
/ ˈmi nɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR meaning ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import: the three meanings of a word.
the end, purpose, or significance of something: What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of this intrusion?
Linguistics.
  1. the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form; expression.
  2. linguistic content (opposed to expression).

adjective

intentioned (usually used in combination): She's a well-meaning person.
full of significance; expressive: a meaning look.

Content related to meaning

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Their, There, And They’re: Do You Know The Difference?The trio of their, there, and they’re can flummox writers of all levels.
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Words related to meaning

definition, substance, interpretation, connotation, essence, explanation, significance, effect, value, understanding, content, hint, context, sense, nuance, implication, spirit, subject, intent, purpose

Words nearby meaning

meander, meander line, meandering stream, meandrous, meanie, meaning, meaningful, meaningful relationship, meaningless, meanly, meanness

Origin of meaning

1250–1300; Middle English (noun); see mean1, -ing1, -ing2

SYNONYMS FOR meaning

1 tenor, gist, drift, trend. Meaning, purport, sense, significance denote that which is expressed or indicated by something. Meaning is the general word denoting that which is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated: the meaning of a word or glance. Sense may be used to denote a particular meaning (among others) of a word or phrase: The word is frequently used in this sense. Sense may also be used loosely to refer to intelligible meaning: There's no sense in what he says. Significance refers particularly to a meaning that is implied rather than expressed: the significance of her glance; or to a meaning the importance of which may not be easy to perceive immediately: The real significance of his words was not grasped at the time. Purport is mainly limited to the meaning of a formal document, speech, important conversation, etc., and refers to the gist of something fairly complicated: the purport of your letter to the editor.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR meaning ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM meaning

mean·ing·ly, adverbmean·ing·ness, nounsub·mean·ing, nounun·der·mean·ing, noun

Definition for meaning (2 of 2)

mean1
[ meen ]
/ min /

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.

Origin of mean

1
before 900; Middle English menen, Old English mǣnan; cognate with German meinen, Dutch meenen

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mean

mean mien

synonym study for mean

1. See intend.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for meaning

British Dictionary definitions for meaning (1 of 4)

meaning
/ (ˈmiːnɪŋ) /

noun

the sense or significance of a word, sentence, symbol, etc; import; semantic or lexical content
the purpose underlying or intended by speech, action, etc
the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or messagethe meaning of a dream
valid content; efficacya law with little or no meaning
philosophy
  1. the sense of an expression; its connotation
  2. the reference of an expression; its denotation. In recent philosophical writings meaning can be used in both the above sensesSee also sense (def. 12)

adjective

expressive of some sense, intention, criticism, etca meaning look
See also well-meaning

British Dictionary definitions for meaning (2 of 4)

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 meaning (3 of 4)

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 meaning (4 of 4)

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

Medicine definitions for meaning

mean
[ mēn ]

n.

Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.
A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.
The average value of a set of numbers.

adj.

Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.
Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for meaning

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.

Culture definitions for meaning (1 of 2)

mean

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

Culture definitions for meaning (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.

Idioms and Phrases with meaning

mean

In addition to the idioms beginning with mean

  • mean business
  • mean to

, also see under

  • means
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.