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.
See Examples For:
Of course, she already knew much about oppression from Miss Asthma, a crone quick to mete out punishments like “one long supperless week” when Annie sticks up for herself.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2024
They started to mete out desegregation orders with teeth, requiring busing if necessary.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024
And yet Himes is able to garner sympathy and adulation for these two men who, within the world of Himes’s Harlem, try their best to mete out justice equally under an inherently unjust system.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
But the department didn’t make the footage public or mete out punishment.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023
They mete out justice to the world, and Tehlu is the greatest of them all—” “I have heard enough.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Death sentences for white collar crimes however remain rare, though they are meted out occasionally, typically if the cases involve large sums exceeding 1bn yuan.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
"Work will continue to ensure there is clear deterrents in terms of the punishments meted out by the law," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Cherifa, who is in her sixties, was one of about 10 Malian refugees who spoke to AFP from neighbouring Mauritania about the brutal violence meted out against civilians.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
The suspended death sentences are the most severe punishment known to be meted out against disgraced generals under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, surpassing the life sentences previously announced for purged military commanders of similar rank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
His status netted him a grand total of $200 a month, a stipend meted out by a few admiring patrons.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Such changes would go hand in hand with an overhaul of the department’s much-maligned disciplinary system, which has faced criticism from some corners for not meting out harsh enough punishments when officers shoot unarmed people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
Shew said he and other election officials will focus on meting out the state’s voting laws fairly and helping make sure the public understands them.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
Over more than 50 years since, the Globetrotters have been ruthless in meting out their revenge.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2023
Currently two separate bodies are responsible for monitoring potential money laundering and meting out sanctions, the Central Office for Sanctions Enforcement and the Central Office for Financial Transaction Investigations.
From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2023
Let us remember that the sovereign State of Kentucky has laws upon her statute books meting out just punishment for all crimes.
From The Kentucky Ranger by Curnick, Edward T.
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.
