DictionaryAI

meaning

SayMEE-ning/ˈminɪŋ/UK/ˈmiːnɪŋ/

Pluralmeanings

6 meanings of meaning

Practice

  1. 1
    definitionnouncountable
    What a word, expression, sign, or symbol means: the idea it expresses, including the associations it suggests.

    Translators must capture the exact meaning of each phrase.

    Children gradually learn the meanings of new words through context.

    UsageUse of: the meaning of a word. In conversation people usually ask what does it mean?

    Similarsense, significance

    Note

    Semantics splits this sense into denotation, the core idea, and connotation, the associations a word carries. Objects can have this kind of meaning too. In Robert W. Chambers's The Younger Set (1907), a character asks what "occult meaning" a sun-dial holds.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • Denotation is literal meaning; connotation comprises associated meanings. our-languages.canada.ca
    • Robert W. Chambers wrote The Younger Set, first published in 1907. gutenberg.org
    • A character in The Younger Set asks about a sun-dial's occult meaning. gutenberg.org
  2. 2
    which impliesverb
    Present participle and gerund of mean.

    He left the office early, meaning to beat the traffic home.

    Were you meaning to insult him, or was it accidental?

    UsageSet phrase: I've been meaning to + verb, for something you intend to do but haven't done yet.

    Note

    The -ing form of mean serves both of the verb's sides. One side is intending (were you meaning to insult him?); the other is signifying. The second gives it a familiar written job as a gloss, as in Lee S. Langston's "the Latin turbo, meaning vortex" in American Scientist (2013). The same spelling also serves as a noun and as two adjectives. The well-meaning adjective grew from the "intend" side.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

  3. 3
    importancenoununcountable
    The purpose, value, or significance of something, beyond the mere fact that it exists.

    After the loss, he struggled to find meaning in everyday routines.

    Philosophers have long debated whether life has any inherent meaning.

    UsageUse no article in find meaning in your work or give life meaning, but say the meaning of life.

    Similarpurpose, significance, point, value, sense

    Oppositepointlessness, futility

    Note

    The philosopher's and the mourner's sense, heard in the meaning of life. Writers reach for it when they are weighing worth rather than decoding words.

  4. 4
    intentionnouncountable or uncountable
    The intention behind a person's words or actions.

    He spoke softly, but his meaning was unmistakable.

    She paused, choosing words that matched her true meaning.

    Similarintention, intent, drift, point, purport

    Note

    Here the noun stays closest to the verb mean in its "intend" use. Walter Raleigh's A Discourse of War builds it with an infinitive: "it was their meaning to take what they needed by strong hand." Dickens's narrator in The Haunted House (1859) reports doubts about "the meaning of the landlord." In both, a modern reader might first hear significance, but intention is what the writers mean.

Less common meanings

  1. 5
    expressiveadjective
    Carrying an unspoken intention or significance; expressive of more than is actually said.

    A meaning silence settled over the table after his remark.

    She gave her sister a meaning glance when the guest arrived late.

    UsageUsed before look, glance, pause or silence; the everyday word is meaningful, which more often says something matters.

    Similarknowing, significant, pointed, expressive, pregnant

    Note

    A literary adjective for gestures and silences that say more than words. Poe writes of "meaning whispers" in William Wilson (1839), and Barbara Baynton of "a meaning pause" in Human Toll (1907). Jane Gardam gives a mother "long, meaning looks" in God on the Rocks (1978).

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

    • Poe uses the exact phrase "meaning whispers" in William Wilson; it occurs in the narrator's account. poemuseum.org
    • William Wilson was first published in 1839. eapoe.org
    • Barbara Baynton uses the exact phrase "a meaning pause" in Human Toll. gutenberg.net.au
    • Human Toll was first published in 1907. en.wikipedia.org
    • Jane Gardam describes a mother with the exact phrase "long, meaning looks" in God on the Rocks. en.wiktionary.org
    • God on the Rocks was first published in 1978. openlibrary.org
  2. 6
    well-intendedadjective
    Having a specified kind of intention, as expressed in compound forms like well-meaning or ill-meaning.

    Despite his clumsy words, he was clearly well-meaning toward the family.

    The committee's ill-meaning critics twisted every statement she made.

    UsageAlmost always in well-meaning or ill-meaning, hyphenated before a noun: a well-meaning neighbor.

meaning is a form of mean

mean, verb: Of a word, sign, or thing, to have a particular sense, or to be a sign of something. Full entry

Forms
meanmeans he/she/itmeaning -ing formmeant past tense, past participle
Spelling
mean → meaning: add -ing

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of meaning apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 3–4

From Middle English mening or menyng, equivalent to mean plus -ing. It is related to Scots mening, West Frisian miening (“opinion”), Dutch mening (“view, opinion”), German Meinung (“opinion, view”), Danish and Swedish mening (“meaning, sense”), and Icelandic meining.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 8 facts

Meanings 2, 5–6

From mean plus the suffix -ing.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact