mean1

verb (past and past participle meant /ment/)

• 1intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion); signify:I don’t know what you mean he was asked to clarify what his remarks meant I meant you, not Jones
• (of a word) have (something) as its signification in the same language or its equivalent in another language:its name means “painted rock” in Cherokee
• genuinely intend to convey or express (something):when she said that before, she meant it
• (mean something to) be of some specified importance to (someone), especially as a source of benefit or object of affection:animals have always meant more to him than people

• 2intend (something) to occur or be the case:they mean no harm [with infinitive]:it was meant to be a secret
• (be meant to do something) be supposed or intended to do something:we were meant to go over yesterday
• (often be meant for) design or destine for a particular purpose:the jacket was meant for a much larger person
• (mean something by) have as a motive or excuse in explanation:what do you mean by leaving me out here in the cold?

• 3have as a consequence or result:the proposals are likely to mean another hundred closures [with clause]:heavy rain meant that the ground was waterlogged
• necessarily or usually entail or involve:coal stoves mean a lot of smoke