mean

CEFRA1

/miːn/

verb · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To have a particular meaning or intention.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Unkind or unpleasant toward other people.

Examples

  • I may be antisocial, but it doesn't mean I don't talk to people.

  • If you look at the lyrics, they don't really mean much.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /mijən/
  • /min/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To intend., To have as intentions of a given kind.

  2. To intend.

  3. To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention.

More examples

In context

  • This could mean the difference between life and death.

  • 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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank bully stole the little kid's toy and laughed at him cruelly.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English menen (“to intend; remember; lament; comfort”), from Old English mǣnan (“to mean, complain”), Proto-West Germanic *mainijan, from Proto-Germanic *mainijaną (“to mean, think; complain”), from Proto-Indo-European *meyn- (“to think”), or perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *meyno-, extended form of Proto-Indo-European *mey-. Germanic cognates include West Frisian miene (“to deem, think”) (Old Frisian mēna (“to signify”)), Dutch menen (“to believe, think, mean”) (Middle Dutch menen (“to think, intend”)), German meinen (“to think, mean, believe”), Old Saxon mēnian. Indo-European cognates include Old Irish mían (“wish, desire”) and Polish mienić (“to signify, believe”). Non-Indo-...