Showing results for "meaning"

• present participle of mean.

meaning

American  

[mee-ning] / ˈmi nɪŋ /

noun

• meanings
  plural

1. what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import.

   the three meanings of a word.

   Synonyms:

   trend, drift, gist, tenor

2. the end, purpose, or significance of something.

   What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of this intrusion?

3. Linguistics.

   1. the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form; expression.

   2. linguistic content (opposed to expression).

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adjective

1. intentioned (usually used in combination).

   She's a well-meaning person.

2. full of significance; expressive.

   a meaning look.

meaning British  

/ ˈmiːnɪŋ /

noun

1. the sense or significance of a word, sentence, symbol, etc; import; semantic or lexical content

2. the purpose underlying or intended by speech, action, etc

3. the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message

   the meaning of a dream

4. valid content; efficacy

   a law with little or no meaning

5. 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 senses See also sense

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adjective

1. expressive of some sense, intention, criticism, etc

   a meaning look

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• meaningness
  noun
• submeaning
  noun
• undermeaning
  noun
• meaningly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• meanings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of meaning

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun); see mean ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

Meaning is what a word, action, or concept is all about — its purpose, significance, or definition. If you want to learn the meaning of the word meaning, you just need to look it up in the dictionary. Meaning represents something's intent or purpose. That something can be a book, a conversation, a television show, or life itself (as in, "the meaning of life"). When you read a poem, you try to figure out the author's intended meaning by interpreting the words he has chosen. For example, if a poet describes love as "a prison," you might interpret the meaning as his feeling confined by his love.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

meaning meanings

Stars in a very close binary can become tidally locked, meaning each star rotates on its axis at the same rate that the pair orbits one another.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

Unlike traditional vaccines, Moderna’s therapeutic cancer vaccine must be personalized to each patient, meaning it will be costly to make.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Over that same time period, the Paxton campaign has spent $119,000 — nearly all of it on digital advertising — meaning that Talarico has essentially had the airwaves to himself.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

And those visits often run over their allotted time, meaning that primary care doctors are often behind.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

“I keep meaning to get a posh one,” he said.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Spend enough years standing behind pyramids of hamburgers, posing at fry stations and inserting yourself into the iconography of American restaurant chains, and eventually the props begin to accrue meanings of their own.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

So while the title of the doc is taken from John’s heartbreaking speech in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” they appreciate its multiple meanings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

You get a little tetchy when it comes to laying out the meanings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

The thorny protection of hedges led to other historical meanings, though.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

I see many meanings in his eyes, but he talks in code because Alan hangs on every word.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

Related Words

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