Sekirov Dictionary

mean

/miːn/

verb 13
adjective 14
noun 7
forms 8
phrases 6

verb13

To convey (a meaning).
•
Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify.
- What does this hieroglyph mean?
•
Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude.
- I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.
- He’s a little different, if you know what I mean.
•
to express a particular idea, fact or thing
- The sky is red this morning—does that mean we're in for a storm?
To intend.
•
To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention.
- I didn't mean to knock your tooth out.
- I mean to go to Arévalo in Spain this summer; I’ve been meaning to tell you for weeks, but I’ve just found the time.
•
To have as intentions of a given kind.
- Don't be angry; she meant well.
•
To intend an ensuing comment or statement as an explanation.
- Your reasoning seems needlessly abstruse, complex, and verbose for me. I mean, could you dumb it down for my sake?
•
To cause or produce (a given result); to bring about (a given result).
- One faltering step means certain death.
- This breakthrough will mean that we spend less on electricity bills.
•
To be of some level of importance.
- That little dog meant everything to me.
- Formality and titles mean nothing in their circle.
•
To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says).
- Does she really mean what she said to him last night?
- Say what you mean and mean what you say.
•
To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine.
- Actually this desk was meant for the subeditor.
- Man was not meant to question such things.
•
(UK, Ireland) To lament.
- All the tyme of his sickness he never said, “Alace!” or meaned any pain, whilk was marvellous. Never man died in greater peace of mind or body. — 1619

adjective14

•
Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base.
- You hurt her feelings - that was a mean thing to do.
- It was mean of you to steal that little girl's piggy bank.
Disobliging; pettily offensive or unaccommodating.
•
Intending to cause harm, successfully or otherwise; bearing ill will towards another.
- Watch out for her: she's mean. I said good morning to her, and she punched me in the nose.
•
Having the mean as its value; average.
- The mean family has 2.4 children.
•
(UK) Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted.
- He's so mean. I've never seen him spend so much as five pounds on presents for his children.
•
Powerful; fierce; strong.
- It must have been a mean typhoon that levelled this town.
•
(informal) Hearty; spicy.
- She wasn’t the most accomplished cook in the world but she cold make a mean stew, she knew how to roast a chicken, and she could whip up eggs at least three different ways. — 2021
•
(informal) Accomplished with great skill; deft; hard to compete with.
- Your mother can roll a mean cigarette.
- He hits a mean backhand.
Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby.
•
Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
- The Roman legions and great Caesar found / Our fathers no mean foes. — 1708
•
(informal) Difficult, tricky.
- This problem is mean!
•
(no longer used) Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble.
- a mean abode
(no longer used) Common; general.
(no longer used) Middling; intermediate; moderately good, tolerable.

noun7

•
a middle point or level between two opposite ends, such as between too much and too little
- Then will not this constitution be a kind of mean between aristocracy and oligarchy? — 1997
•
a number worked out from a set of numbers to show their typical value, most often by adding them and dividing the total by how many there are
- Luckily, even though the arithmetic mean is unusable, both the harmonic and geometric means settle to precise values as the amount of data increases. — 2002
•
The average of a set of values, calculated by summing them together and dividing by the number of terms.
- While the average age of the rioter was 27.8 years, the mean age of the nonrioter was 38.1. — 1980
•
A method or course of action used to achieve some result.
- To say truth, it is a meane full of uncertainty and danger. — 1603
•
Either of the two numbers in the middle of a conventionally presented proportion, as 2 and 3 in 1:2=3:6.
- ...if four numbers be in proportion, the product of the first and last, or of the two extremes, is equal to the product of the second and third, or of the two means. — 1825
•
(historical) the middle voice in music written for three voices that each sing their own part at the same time, later the alto voice, just below the highest
- Of these [rattles] they have Base, Tenor, Countertenor, Meane, and Treble. — 1624
•
(no longer used) An intermediate step or intermediate steps.
- Verily in this treatise this hath been mine only purpose; and the mean to bring the same to effect hath been such as whereby I studied to profit wholesomely, not to please delicately. — 1563

forms

meant · meantest · meaning · meaneth · means · meanest · meaner · meanest

Phrases with mean

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