mete
1 Americanverb
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mete1
before 900; Middle English; Old English metan; cognate with Dutch meten, Old Norse meta, Gothic mitan, German messen to measure, Greek mḗdesthai to ponder
Origin of mete2
1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French < Latin mēta goal, turning post
Explanation
If you "mete out" something (the word is usually followed by "out"), it means you dish it out in very careful measured amounts. Anyone who metes out their love probably isn't someone you want to have a relationship with. Another word often used interchangeably with mete is dole, though there are slight differences in meaning: dole suggests a more lavish, unthinking form of activity than the more stingy and controlled mete, and while some nice things (like compassion or love) can be "doled out," it's very rare that anything pleasant or happy is "meted out."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mete Coban, the deputy mayor for environment and energy, said London's "toxic air" is linked to around 4,000 premature deaths in the capital each year.
From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025
The researchers, led by Mete Civelek, PhD, wanted to better understand factors that influence our risk for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries.
From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2024
Her aunt Emine Onder-Nizan, her uncle, Engin Onder-Nizan and cousin Mete Onder-Nizan - who all travelled from the UK - have been found.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2023
Mete Coban got into politics at an unusually young age: He joined Britain’s Labour Party at 14, encouraged by a teacher who noticed his knack for debating in class.
From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2022
And Mete can be the pioneer and Venie his wife.
From Five Little Starrs in the Canadian Forest by Roy, Lillian Elizabeth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
