meanintend: What do you mean?; signify, indicate, imply; malicious: a mean bullyNot to be confused with:mien ? a person?s look or bearing: a woman of regal mienAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreemean 1 (m?n)v. meant (m?nt), mean·ing, means v.tr.1. a. To be used to convey; denote: “‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things'” (Lewis Carroll).b. 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.Idiom: mean business Informal To be in earnest.[Middle English menen, from Old English m?nan, to tell of; see mei-no- in Indo-European roots.]mean 2 (m?n)adj. mean·er, mean·est 1. a. Lacking in kindness; unkind: The teacher was not being mean in asking you to be quiet.b. Cruel, spiteful, or malicious: a mean boy who liked to make fun of others.c. Expressing spite or malice: gave me a mean look.d. Tending toward or characterized by cruelty or violence: mean streets.e. Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable: the meanest storm in years.2. Ignoble; base: a mean motive. See Synonyms at base2.3. Miserly; stingy: mean with money.4. a. Low in value, rank, or social status: “I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own” (Frederick Douglass).b. Common or poor in appearance; shabby: “The rowhouses had been darkened by the rain and looked meaner and grimmer than ever” (Anne Tyler).5. Slang a. Hard to cope with; difficult or troublesome: He throws a mean fast ball.b. Excellent; skillful: She plays a mean game of bridge.[Middle English, from Old English gem?ne, common; see mei- in Indo-European roots.]mean?ness n.mean 3 (m?n)n.1. Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.2. Mathematics a. A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.b. The average value of a set of numbers.3. Logic The middle term in a syllogism.4. means(used with a sing. or pl. verb) A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved.5. means(used with a pl. verb)a. Money, property, or other wealth: You ought to live within your means.b. Great wealth: a woman of means.adj.1. Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.2. Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.Idioms: by all means Without fail; certainly. by any means In any way possible; to any extent: not by any means an easy opponent. by means of With the use of; owing to: They succeeded by means of patience and sacrifice. by no means In no sense; certainly not: This remark by no means should be taken lightly.[Middle English mene, middle, from Old French meien, from Latin medi?nus, from medius; see medhyo- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: In the sense of “financial resources” means takes a plural verb: His means are more than adequate. In the sense of “a way to an end,” means may be treated as a singular or plural. It is singular when referring to a particular strategy or method: The best means of securing the cooperation of the builders is to appeal to their self-interest. It is plural when it refers to a group of strategies or methods: The most effective means for dealing with the drug problem have often been those suggested by the affected communities. · Means is most often followed by of: a means of noise reduction. But for, to, and toward are also used: a means for transmitting sound; a means to an end; a means toward achieving equality.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.mean (mi?n) vb (mainly tr) , means, meaning or meant1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to intend to convey or express2. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) intend: she didn’t mean to hurt it. 3. (may take a clause as object) to say or do in all seriousness: the boss means what he says about strikes. 4. (often foll by: for) to destine or design (for a certain person or purpose): she was meant for greater things. 5. (may take a clause as object) to denote or connote; signify; represent: examples help show exactly what a word means. 6. (may take a clause as object) to produce; cause: the weather will mean long traffic delays. 7. (may take a clause as object) to foretell; portend: those dark clouds mean rain. 8. to have the importance of: money means nothing to him. 9. (intr) to have the intention of behaving or acting (esp in the phrases mean well or mean ill)10. mean business to be in earnest[Old English mænan; compare Old Saxon m?nian to intend, Dutch meenen]Usage: In standard English, mean should not be followed by for when expressing intention: I didn’t mean this to happen (not I didn’t mean for this to happen)mean (mi?n) adj1. chiefly Brit miserly, ungenerous, or petty2. humble, obscure, or lowly: he rose from mean origins to high office. 3. despicable, ignoble, or callous: a mean action. 4. poor or shabby: mean clothing; a mean abode. 5. informal chiefly US and Canadian bad-tempered; vicious6. informal ashamed: he felt mean about not letting the children go to the zoo. 7. informal chiefly US unwell; in low spirits8. slang excellent; skilful: he plays a mean trombone. 9. no mean a. of high quality: no mean performer. b. difficult: no mean feat. [C12: from Old English gem?ne common; related to Old High German gimeini, Latin communis common, at first with no pejorative sense] ?meanly adv ?meanness nmean (mi?n) n1. the middle point, state, or course between limits or extremes2. moderation3. (Mathematics) maths a. the second and third terms of a proportion, as b and c in a/b = c/db. another name for average2 See also geometric mean4. (Statistics) statistics a statistic obtained by multiplying each possible value of a variable by its probability and then taking the sum or integral over the range of the variableadj5. intermediate or medium in size, quantity, etc6. occurring halfway between extremes or limits; average[C14: via Anglo-Norman from Old French moien, from Late Latin medi?nus median]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014mean1 (min) v. meant, mean?ing. v.t. 1. to have in mind as one’s purpose or intention; intend. 2. to intend for a particular destiny: They were meant for each other. 3. to intend to express or indicate: What do you mean by ?perfect? ? 4. to have as its sense or signification; signify. 5. to bring, cause, or produce as a result: Prosperity means peace. 6. to have the value of: Money means everything to them. v.i. 7. to have specified intentions: We meant well. [before 900; Middle English menen, Old English m?nan, c. Old Frisian m?na, Old Saxon m?nian, Old High German meinen] mean2 (min) adj. -er, -est. 1. uncharitable; malicious: a mean remark. 2. small-minded; ignoble: mean motives. 3. stingy; miserly. 4. inferior in quality or character. 5. low in status: mean servitors. 6. bad-tempered: a mean horse. 7. excellent; topnotch: plays a mean game of tennis. [before 900; variant of imene, Old English gem?ne common, inferior, c. Old Frisian m?ne, Old High German gimeini, Gothic gamains; compare common] mean?ness, n. mean3 (min) n. 1. Usu., means. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) an agency, instrument, or method used to attain an end. 2. means, a. available resources, esp. money. b. considerable financial resources: a person of means. 3. something midway between two extremes. 4. a. a quantity having a value intermediate between the values of other quantities; an average, esp. the arithmetic mean. b. either the second or third term in a proportion of four terms. 5. the middle term in a syllogism. adj. 6. occupying a middle position or intermediate place. Idioms: 1. by all means, certainly. 2. by any means, in any way; at all. 3. by means of, by the agency of; through. 4. by no means, not at all. [1300?50; Middle English mene The past tense and -ed participle of the verb mean is meant /ment/.You use mean when you are talking or asking about the meaning of a word or expression.Be Careful!You must use the auxiliary verb does in questions like these. Don’t say, for example, ‘What means ‘imperialism’?’You can use mean with an -ing form to say what an attitude or type of behaviour involves.What someone means is what they are referring to or intend to say.Be Careful!Don’t use ‘mean’ to talk about what people think or believe. Don’t say, for example, ‘Most people mean he should resign’. Say ‘Most people think he should resign’.In conversation, you can use ‘I mean’ to explain or correct something that you have just said.