MEAN in a Sentence

Learn MEAN from example sentences; some of them are from classic books. These examples are selected from a corpus with 300,000 sentences, including classic works and current mainstream media. Some sentences also link to their contexts.

408 example sentences for MEAN, such as:

1. When we say yes, we mean it.
2. You mean men you can always bully.
3. It depends what you mean by 'hostile'.
4. Define precisely what you mean by 'crime'.
5. Forever, thunder would mean cannon and war to her.

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 Meanings and Examples of MEAN
Definition Example Sentence Classic Sentence
mean
 a.  unkind, spiteful, or unfair
 n.  an average of some numbers
Classic Sentence: (210 in 15 pages)
1  Hitherto Ethan Frome had been content to think him a mean fellow; but now he positively invited a horse-whipping.
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
Context  Highlight   In I
2  "Well, when she gets married, I mean," his wife's drawl came from behind him.
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
Context  Highlight   In I
3  But Mrs. Hale had said, "You've had an awful mean time, Ethan Frome," and he felt less alone with his misery.
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton
Context  Highlight   In VIII
4  Ah doan mean round home but w'en you is out in comp'ny.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER V
5  "Of course, it will mean fighting," said Charles, after several more embarrassed attempts.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER VI
6  I don't mean the little boys and the old gentlemen.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER IX
7  Again he had made a graceful remark, the kind of compliment any gentleman would pay under such circumstances, but he did not mean a word of it.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER IX
8  You mean men you can always bully.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XIX
9  There might be Yankees or mean niggers at Twelve Oaks.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXV
10  Suellen looked with weak loathing at her older sister, feeling sure Scarlett said these things just to be mean.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXV
11  "If you mean did they rape me, no," said Scarlett, groaning as she tried to sit up.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXVII
12  "Oh, I didn't mean it that way, darling," cried Melanie, flushing with distress.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXVIII
13  When such thoughts came she did not pray hastily to God, telling Him she did not mean it.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXX
14  But Ashley seemed to mean them and there was a look in his eyes which eluded her--not fear, not apology, but the bracing to a strain which was inevitable and overwhelming.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXXI
15  Forever, thunder would mean cannon and war to her.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitche
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXXIII
Example Sentence: (198 in 14 pages)
16  When we say yes, we mean it.
17  Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
18  I didn't mean to break it-it was an accident.
19  Just because a camera is old does not mean it is valuable.
20  Credit cards can be handy-they mean you do not have to carry large sums of cash.
21  The new building will mean that we can meet the challenge of increasing student numbers.
22  This could mean the closure of thousands of small businesses which serve the community.
23  Members are concerned that a merger might mean higher costs, in which case they would oppose it.
24  This could mean that we end up with a revolving door Congress, in which former members return as lobbyists.
25  The latest price rises mean that the real loser, as usual, is the consumer.
26  A small percentage reduction in the cost of materials would mean a significant increase in profit.
27  Define precisely what you mean by 'crime'.
28  It depends what you mean by 'hostile'.
29  Their specific task is to sort through the reams of information and try to determine what it may mean.
30  A single example serves to illustrate what I mean.