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meant

 - 6 dictionary results

meant

  [ment]
Use meant in a Sentence
–verb
pt. and pp. of mean 1 .

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.
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.
–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:
bef. 900; ME menen, OE mǣnan; c. G meinen, D 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. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To meant
mean 1   (mēn)   
v.   meant (měnt), mean·ing, means

v.   tr.

    1. To be used to convey; denote: "'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things'" (Lewis Carroll).

    2. To act as a symbol of; signify or represent: In this poem, the budding flower means youth.

  2. To intend to convey or indicate: "No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous" (Henry Adams).

  3. To have as a purpose or an intention; intend: I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.

  4. To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end: a building that was meant for storage; a student who was meant to be a scientist.

  5. To have as a consequence; bring about: Friction means heat.

  6. To have the importance or value of: The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.

v.   intr.
To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed: They mean well but lack tact.

[Middle English menen, from Old English mǣnan, to tell of; see mei-no- in Indo-European roots.]
meant   (měnt)   
v.  Past tense and past participle of mean1.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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.
Cite This Source
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.
Cite This Source
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