mean
mean or intend to express or convey
How often you will meet it
Rank 317 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 64,148 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.030% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 500 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
verb
- mean or intend to express or convey also: intend You never understand what I mean!what do his words intend?
- have as a logical consequence also: entail, imply The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers
- denote or connote also: intend, signify, stand for `maison' means `house' in FrenchAn example sentence would show what this word means
- have in mind as a purpose also: intend, think I mean no harmI only meant to help you
- have a specified degree of importance My ex-husband means nothing to meHappiness means everything
- intend to refer to also: think of, have in mind I'm thinking of good food when I talk about FranceYes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!
adjective
- approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value also: average the average income in New England is below that of the nationof average height for his age
mean in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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You know the kind of thing I mean.
Emily Fox-Seton · Frances Hodgson Burnett · Chapter 1
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I see You do not mean to turn from me.
Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 08, May 21, 1870 · Various · Chapter 1
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They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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Does he mean the crime which the statutes of the civilized states describe as such?
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1
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Why, that would mean joy, And new life for the girl, and fresh strength for the boy.
Punch — Volume 99, August 16, 1890 · Various · Chapter 1