meaning

American  

[mee-ning] / ˈmi nɪŋ /

noun

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 (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

Related Words

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

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

Etymology

Origin of meaning

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun); 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

I’m really a very routined person, meaning that I have the same routine almost every day and I’m really militant about policing it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Parliament has already agreed to "carry over" five Bills from the current session, meaning debate on them can continue after May 13, but the Chagos Bill is not among them.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The judge said that to show defamation, Trump had to demonstrate that the Journal and its reporters acted with “actual malice,” meaning they deliberately published a false story or showed reckless disregard for the truth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Memory chips are notoriously cyclical, meaning the industry goes through cycles of boom and bust.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

That I want the mailbox to have some important meaning, like a symbol in a novel.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

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