mean
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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Even at that elevated rate, it would mean two per every 10,000 people taking the drug on average would develop the condition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
It was started three years ago by English teacher Daryl Bilandzija, a former student of Crouch’s who saw that handing over the plot to his old teacher would mean learning for his students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
If your mother had Alzheimer’s, your own risk is higher than average from a statistical point of view, although that does not mean that you will develop the disease.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
I mean: measles, food contamination, wars, Michael Cohen, climate, education, immigration, healthcare and post partum psychosis is more than enough.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
“I mean, how come this elephant was in your garden in the first place? Where were you living? I don’t understand.”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
New heated debates are flaring up across the industry as CEOs, researchers and policymakers grapple with what it means to pace the frontier.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
A high score means you’re ready for intense exercise, while a low score indicates your body needs rest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Misgendering means using incorrect pronouns or other gendered language for someone, intentionally or unintentionally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
And finally, with the SEC opening the door to tokenized equities, they explain what it means for stocks to be traded like crypto—and why AMC is beefing with Robinhood over it.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026
Hannie has played the only card she had to stop him from discovering our means of escape.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The Financial Times's Danny Leigh dished out three stars, saying it paints a "portrait of tech rendering the young both sadder and meaner".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
In turn, increased efficiency allows them to be meaner toward prospective employees.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026
Photos from the summer show a much meaner and leaner Doncic than the one that ended last season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2025
His memory lapse hasn’t made folks meaner — it’s just made Paul unaccustomed to the hassle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
She felt a stab of sympathy for him and a harsher, meaner stab of anger at her parents.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
And more than a few of my closest, meanest friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
"Candidates should not try to be the meanest sheriff."
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
He delivers the meanest quip in a respectful movie when he tells Reed, “I take back every single bad thing I’ve been saying about you … to myself, in private.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
So, whenever my phone lights up, I can trust that I’m about to read the meanest, funniest joke imaginable about, like, Marco Rubio.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2025
She’d take a block of paper and a stick of charcoal and sketch the poorest, meanest kid in the room.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
"I'd sleep outside if it meant getting a job wrestling one day. Honestly, it's my dream job," he added.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The climactic section “Cosmic Bloom,” a flashy interstellar big bang, doesn’t transcend the sum of its parts as it was meant to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Ali Vaez, an Iran expert at the International Crisis Group, a conflict-resolution organization, said the rally was meant to send a warning to the government’s opponents at home and abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The 49-year-old knew that Barrio Athletics’ “takeover” language wasn’t meant to be taken literally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
I couldn’t imagine what she meant by that and wondered if I was supposed to ask.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Cuba relies heavily on fuel imports, meaning tight US sanctions and an oil blockade since the start of the year have exacerbated existing shortages.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Godrich notes proudly that “the way the record was made was completely mechanical,” meaning nothing was programmed on a computer but instead recorded “live on the fly” using older equipment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Investors have been clamoring to recover a record $349 billion in these “zombie funds,” but higher rates will make deals even more difficult, meaning that number is likely to grow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
All have American depositary receipts traded on U.S. exchanges, meaning you can buy the stocks easily through your brokerage account, and can even own them in a tax-sheltered account such as an IRA.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Skunks eat everything, you know. They’re omnivores. Omni, meaning everything, vore, meaning one who eats.”
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Vocabulary lists containing mean
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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Psychology
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