Definitions for mean



Overview of noun mean

The noun mean has 1 senses? (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (10) mean, mean value

(an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n)


Overview of verb mean

The verb mean has 7 senses? (first 6 from tagged texts)
1. (93) mean, intend

(mean or intend to express or convey; "You never understand what I mean!"; "what do his words intend?")

2. (89) entail, imply, mean

(have as a logical consequence; "The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers")

3. (43) mean, intend, signify, stand for

(denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An example sentence would show what this word means")

4. (27) intend, mean, think

(have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night")

5. (9) mean

(have a specified degree of importance; "My ex-husband means nothing to me"; "Happiness means everything")

6. (8) think of, have in mind, mean

(intend to refer to; "I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!")

7. mean

(destine or designate for a certain purpose; "These flowers were meant for you")


Overview of adj mean

The adj mean has 8 senses? (first 3 from tagged texts)
1. (16) average, mean

(approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value; "the average income in New England is below that of the nation"; "of average height for his age"; "the mean annual rainfall")

2. (6) hateful, mean

(characterized by malice; "a hateful thing to do"; "in a mean mood")

3. (3) base, mean, meanspirited

(having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality; "that liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage"; "chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare; "something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics")

4. mean

(excellent; "famous for a mean backhand")

5. beggarly, mean

(marked by poverty befitting a beggar; "a beggarly existence in the slums"; "a mean hut")

6. mean, mingy, miserly, tight

((used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity; "a mean person"; "he left a miserly tip")

7. beggarly, mean

((used of sums of money) so small in amount as to deserve contempt)

8. bastardly, mean

(of no value or worth; "I was caught in the bastardly traffic")

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