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mean1 definition

mean (mēn)

transitive verb meant (ment), meaning mean′·ing

  1. to have in mind; intend; purpose he means to go
    1. to intend or design for a certain person or purpose a gift meant for you
    2. to destine or seem to destine he was meant to be a doctor
  3. to intend to express, signify, or indicate to say what one means
    1. to be used to convey; denote the German word “ja” means “yes”
    2. to be a sign, indication, or herald of; signify this means war!

Etymology: ME menen < OE mænan, to mean, tell, complain, akin to Ger meinen, to have in mind, have as opinion < IE base *meino-, opinion, intent > OIr mian, wish, desire

intransitive verb

  1. to have a purpose or intention in mind: chiefly in mean well, to have good intentions
  2. to have a (specified) degree of importance, effect, or influence honors mean little to him
mean Idioms

mean well by

to have good intentions or friendly, helpful feelings toward
mean2 definition

mean (mēn)

adjective

  1. low in quality, value, or importance; paltry; poor; inferior: now usually in negative constructions paid no mean sum
  2. Rare low in social status or rank; of humble origin
  3. poor in appearance; shabby a mean dwelling
  4. ignoble; base; small-minded; petty
  5. stingy; miserly; penurious
  6. ☆ bad-tempered; vicious; unmanageable: said of a horse, etc.
  7. ☆ pettily or contemptibly selfish, bad-tempered, disagreeable, malicious, etc.
  8. ☆ humiliated or ashamed
  9. ☆ Informal in poor health; not well; ill; indisposed
  10. ☆ Slang
    1. hard to cope with; difficult to throw a mean curve in baseball
    2. skillful; expert to play a mean game of chess

Etymology: ME mene, common, hence mean < OE (ge)mæne, akin to Ger gemein, plentiful, common

Related Forms:

mean3 definition

mean (mēn)

adjective

  1. halfway between extremes; in a middle or intermediate position as to place, time, quantity, quality, kind, value, degree, etc.
  2. medium; average; middling

Etymology: ME mene < OFr meien (Fr moyen) < L medianus: see median

noun

  1. what is between extremes; intermediate state, quality, course, or procedure
  2. avoidance of extremes or excess; moderation
  3. Math.
    1. a number between the smallest and largest values of a set of quantities, obtained by some prescribed method: unless otherwise qualified, the arithmetic mean
    2. the number obtained by multiplying each value of x by the probability (or probability density) of x and then summing (or integrating) over the range of x
    3. the second or third term of a four-term proportion

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business mean definition - business

finance mean definition - finance

idioms mean idiom

medical mean definition - medical

mean Synonyms

mean

modif.

  1. Small-minded

    base, ignoble, low, small-minded, petty, contemptible, degrading, sordid, mean-spirited, dishonorable, discreditable, unworthy, selfish, debased, degraded, ignominious, shabby, scurvy, crummy*, lowdown*. *

  2. Of low estate

    abject, pitiful, shabby; see humble 2.

  3. Vicious

    spiteful, vicious, malicious, cruel, unkind, nasty, offensive, vile, shameless, dishonorable, malign, evil, infamous, treacherous, sneaking, crooked, fraudulent, unscrupulous, deceitful, villainous, blackguard, faithless, ill-tempered, bad-tempered, cantankerous, ornery*, disagreeable*, unaccommodating, despicable*, odious*, scurrilous*, perfidious*, knavish*, rotten*, hard as nails*.

  4. Stingy

    miserly, niggardly, rapacious; see greedy 1, stingy.

  5. Average

    mediocre, middling, halfway; see common 1, conventional 1, popular 3, traditional 2.

mean suggests a contemptible pettiness or unkindness of character or conduct his mean attempts to slander her; base implies a dishonorable putting of one's own interests ahead of one's obligations, as because of greed or cowardice base motives; ignoble suggests a lack of high moral or intellectual qualities to work for an ignoble end; abject implies debasement and a contemptible lack of self-respect an abject coward; sordid connotes the depressing drabness of that which is mean or base the sordid details of their affair; vile suggests disgusting foulness or depravity vile epithets; low suggests rather generally coarseness, vulgarity, depravity, etc., specif. in reference to taking grossly unfair advantage so low as to steal from one's own mother; degrading suggests a lowering or corruption of moral standards or a lowering of self-respect or dignity the degrading aspects of prison life


mean

n.

average, middle, median, midpoint; see average, center 1. See syn. study at average.


mean

v.

  1. To have as meaning

    indicate, spell, denote, signify, betoken, import, add up, determine, symbolize, imply, involve, allude, speak of, touch on, stand for, drive at, point to, connote, suggest, express, designate, intimate, tell the meaning of, purport.

  2. To have in mind

    anticipate, propose, expect; see intend 1.

  3. To design for

    destine for, aim at, set apart; see intend 2. See syn. study at intend.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

mean Usage Examples

Object

  • nothing: Without this, 30 % means nothing at all in absolute terms.

Converse of object

  • do: Alright Stew - joined the band, does that mean you got a blow job?

Adjective modifier

  • electronic: The Act, therefore gives the Lord Chancellor power to make the use of electronic means for conveyancing compulsory, subject to appropriate consultation.

Adjective complement

  • exhaustive: Other terms These examples are by no means exhaustive.

Modifies a noun

  • concentration: With the syrup, mean peak plasma concentrations are attained within 2 hours.

Used with why or when

  • when: EG: No, perhaps I should explain what I mean when I say I don't know what the psychology of art is.

Infinitive complement

  • say: What exactly does it mean to say that there should be equal opportunity to get into better positions?

Preposition: of

  • escape: Means of escape Egress hinges ( and non-locking handle option ) to provide suitable means of escape.
mean usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

mean quotes

Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice, lying ina mean†it is a mean between twovices, that which depends on excess and that which depends on defect.

-Aristotle

Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper.

-Austen,Jane

I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city.

-Bible (NewTestament)

mean quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"mean." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/mean>

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mean. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/mean

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