MEAN | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary

Meaning of mean – Learner’s Dictionary

mean
verb [ T ]
uk
/miːn/
us
past tense and past participle meant /ment/

mean verb [T] (MEANING)

A2
to have a particular meaning:
What does 'perpendicular' mean?
The red light means stop.
More examplesFewer examples

mean verb [T] (EXPRESS)

B1
to intend to express a fact or opinion:
I didn't mean that as a criticism.
That's what I meant when I said he's been acting oddly.
What exactly do you mean by 'old-fashioned'?
More examplesFewer examples
mean to do sth
B1
to intend to do something:
I didn't mean to hurt her.

mean verb [T] (RESULT)

B1
to have a particular result:
These changes will mean better health care for everyone.
[ + (that) ] It doesn't mean that you can stop working.

mean verb [T] (SERIOUS)

to be serious about something that you have said:
I'll take that sandwich away if you don't eat it properly - I mean it!

mean verb [T] (IMPORTANT)

B1
to have an important emotional effect on someone:
You don't know what it means to me to get this letter.
Their support has meant a lot to us.
have been meaning to do sth
B1
to have been wanting and planning to do something:
I've been meaning to call you for weeks.
be meant to do sth
If you are meant to do something, that is what you should do in order to behave correctly:
You're meant to shake the bottle first.
He's not meant to drive any more.
mean well
to intend to behave in a kind way:
I know my parents mean well, but I wish they wouldn't interfere.
I mean
something that people often say before they continue their sentence:
I mean, I don't dislike her.
A2
something that you say in order to correct yourself:
We went there in May - I mean June.
mean
adjective
uk
/miːn/
us

mean adjective (UNKIND)

I thought my sister was being mean to me.

mean adjective (NOT GENEROUS)

B2
A mean person does not like spending money, especially on other people:
He's too mean to buy her a ring.

mean adjective (VIOLENT)

A mean person or animal is strong and violent, and makes people frightened:
He's a big, mean guy.

mean adjective (GOOD)

very good:
I make a mean spaghetti.

mean adjective (AVERAGE)

In maths, a mean number is an average number:
Their mean age at death was 84.6.

Idioms

mean
  formal
uk
/miːn/
us

(Definition of mean from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of mean

in Chinese (Traditional)
表達, 意思是, 意味著…
in Chinese (Simplified)
表达, 意思是, 意味着…
in Spanish
significa, querer decir, significar…
in Portuguese
querer dizer, significar, querer fazer algo…
in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Russian
in Telugu
in Arabic
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
म्हणजे, हवेच असणे, इच्छा असणे…
~を意味する, ~をもたらす, ~と(意味して)言う…
demek, anlamına gelmek, demek istemek…
signifier, vouloir dire, avoir l’intention de…
significar, comportar, voler dir…
krenterig, gemeen, kwaadaardig…
ஒரு யோசனை, சிந்தனை அல்லது உண்மை போன்ற ஒன்றை வெளிப்படுத்த அல்லது பிரதிநிதித்துவப்படுத்த, நீங்கள் சொல்வதற்கு முக்கியத்துவம் சேர்க்க பயன்படுகிறது…
(किसी विचार या तथ्य का) मतलब, अभिप्राय, अपने कथन पर बल देने के लिए प्रयुक्त…
અણસાર આપવો, સૂચવવું, તમે જે કહો છો તે ભારપૂર્વક કહેવા માટે વપરાય છે.…
nærig, fedtet, ondskabsfuld…
snål, simpel, gemen…
kedekut, jahat, kejam…
knauserig, gemein, bösartig…
bety, mene, ekkel…
معنی ہونا, مراد ہونا, مطلب ہونا…
скупий, скнарий, низький…
значить, иметь в виду, означать…
ఆర్డము, మీరు చెప్పా దానికి ఒత్తు వేయటం, ఒక నిర్దిష్ట ఫలితాన్ని పొందు…
يَعْني, يُؤَدّي إلى, يَقصُد…
অর্থ প্রকাশ করা, কোনো ভাবনা, চিন্তা বা তথ্য ব্যক্ত করা বা উপস্থাপিত করা…
lakomý, hanebný, nečestný…
kikir, jahat, kejam…
ใจแคบ, ทำให้เสียหาย, อารมณ์เสีย…
keo kiệt, có vẻ là, tầm thường…
znaczyć, oznaczać, mieć na myśli…
-를 의미하다, -(결과를) 의미하다, -를 의도하다…
significare, voler dire, intendere…
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Word of the Day

scripted

UK
/ˈskrɪp.tɪd/
US
/ˈskrɪp.tɪd/

A scripted speech or broadcast has been written before it is read or performed.

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