mean

intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion); signify. intend (something) to occur or be the case. unkind, spiteful, or unfair.

The first known use: before the 12th century

Word Structure

4 Letters, 1 Syllable

mean

3 Phonemes

m E n

onset, rime

m ean

Morpheme

mean

Local Voices

Sentence Examples

Red means “stop” and green means “go.

He's very ambitious, and I mean that as a compliment.

She says she didn't mean anything by what she did.

Take all these temperatures and calculate their mean.

Common Phrases

a mean (something)

Greenwhich mean time

If you know what I mean

Deeper Dive

Learn more about mean.