ween
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to think; suppose.
-
to expect, hope, or intend.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ween
before 900; Middle English wenen, Old English wēnan to expect; cognate with German wähnen to imagine, Old Norse væna, Gothic wēnjan to hope, expect
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.
The idea to fuse improv with puppeteering originated from a training exercise meant to ween puppeteers from their dependence on scripts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2023
I’d begin by trying to ween her into other genres.
From Slate ● May 20, 2021
But as hospital staffers worked to ween her body off seven weeks of sedation, she began to stir.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2021
That plan calls for Saudi Arabia to ween itself off of relying on oil exports while creating new jobs for its millions of young people.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 11, 2020
Obviously, I opine, the cause is individualism, isolation, caprice,—and as obviously, I ween, the only cure is combination, organization, system.
From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879 by Various
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.
