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Meant

 [ment]   Example Sentences Origin

meant

   [ment]
verb
simple past tense and past participle of mean1.
Related forms
half-meant, adjective
un·meant, adjective

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Meant is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
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Example Sentences
  • But there was a time when specific flowers meant specific things.
  • As she got the hang of Hollywood, she realized this meant only taking roles that were—or seemed to be—written for her.
  • Tablecloths are meant to have things spilled on them.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

mean

1   [meen] verb, meant, mean·ing.
verb (used with object)
1.
to have in mind as one's purpose or intention; intend: I meant to compliment you on your work.
2.
to intend for a particular purpose, destination, etc.: They were meant for each other.
3.
to intend to express or indicate: What do you mean by “liberal”?
4.
to have as its sense or signification; signify: The word “freedom” means many things to many people.
5.
to bring, cause, or produce as a result: This bonus means that we can take a trip to Florida.
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6.
to have (certain intentions) toward a person: He didn't mean you any harm.
7.
to have the value of; assume the importance of: Money means everything to them. She means the world to him.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
8.
to be minded or disposed; have intentions: Beware, she means ill, despite her solicitous manner.
Idiom
9.
mean well, to have good intentions; try to be kind or helpful: Her constant queries about your health must be tiresome, but I'm sure she means well.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English menen, Old English mǣnan; cognate with German meinen, Dutch meenen

Synonyms
1. contemplate. See intend. 2. destine, foreordain. 4. denote, indicate; import, imply, connote.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Meant
Collins
World English Dictionary
meant (mɛnt)
 
—vb
the past tense and past participle of mean

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mean
"that which is halfway between extremes," early 14c., from O.Fr. meien, from L. medianus "of or that is in the middle" (see median). Oldest sense is musical. Sense of "so-so, mediocre" led to confusion with mean (adj.). This is the mean in meantime, meanwhile, and by no means (late 15c.).
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meant
pp. of mean (v.).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

mean (mēn)
n.

  1. Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.

  2. A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.

  3. The average value of a set of numbers.

adj.

  1. Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.

  2. Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
mean   (mēn)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A number or quantity having a value that is intermediate between other numbers or quantities, especially an arithmetic mean or average. See more at arithmetic mean.

  2. Either the second or third term of a proportion of four terms. In the proportion 2/3 = 4/6 , the means are 3 and 4. Compare extreme.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

mean definition


In statistics, an average of a group of numbers or data points. With a group of numbers, the mean is obtained by adding them and dividing by the number of numbers in the group. Thus the mean of five, seven, and twelve is eight (twenty-four divided by three). (Compare median and mode.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

mean definition


  1. mod.
    having to do with someone or something that is very good; cool. : This music is mean, man, mean. What a great sound!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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