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:
Had Steinbrenner “violated ‘the best interests of baseball’ rule, which gives the commissioner broad authority to mete out punishment?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The case pitted McGlockton’s right to defend his family from a threatening stranger against Drejka’s right to initiate a confrontation over a parking spot and then to mete out justice according to his own whim.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026
The internet, of course, has been quite happy to mete out those stupid prizes left and right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025
They started to mete out desegregation orders with teeth, requiring busing if necessary.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024
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
Filmmaking has not been exempt from the disruption meted out onto the creative industries by AI's rapid development in recent years.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
We have already seen justice meted out by British judges in speech cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025
"Raging" Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson has vowed to "make changes" for the final few matches of the Scottish Premiership season after Hibernian meted out a record-breaking fifth consecutive defeat at Ibrox.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2025
The Sentencing Council, made up of some of the most senior legal figures in England and Wales, said the guidance would address disparities in the punishments meted out by judges.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
It is neither a punishment meted out nor a lesson conferred.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
In 2025, the university’s annual safety report noted 29 hazing reports on campus, at frats as well as other student groups, with Cornell meting out violations to 11 organizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
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
“It is my duty to use this power first of all in meting out justice.”
From The Pharaoh and the Priest An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt by Alexander Glovatski
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
