MEANING Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

meaning

[ mee-ning ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import:
the three meanings of a word.
Synonyms: , , ,
the end, purpose, or significance of something:
What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of this intrusion?
Linguistics.
1. the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form; expression.
2. linguistic content ( expression ).

adjective

intentioned (usually used in combination):
She's a well-meaning person.
full of significance; expressive:
a meaning look.

meaning

/ ˈ��ː��ɪŋ /

noun

the sense or significance of a word, sentence, symbol, etc; import; semantic or lexical content
the purpose underlying or intended by speech, action, etc
the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message
the meaning of a dream
valid content; efficacy
a law with little or no meaning
philosophy
1. the sense of an expression; its connotation
2. the reference of an expression; its denotation. In recent philosophical writings meaning can be used in both the above senses See also sense

adjective

expressive of some sense, intention, criticism, etc
a meaning look

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��𲹲�i�Բ�·�� adverb
��𲹲�i�Բ�·�Ա�� noun
��ܲ�·��𲹲�i�Բ� noun
�ܲ�d��·��𲹲�i�Բ� noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of meaning¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun); mean ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

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Synonym Study

Meaning, purport, sense, significance denote that which is expressed or indicated by something. Meaning is the general word denoting that which is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated: the meaning of a word or glance. Sense may be used to denote a particular meaning (among others) of a word or phrase: The word is frequently used in this sense. Sense may also be used loosely to refer to intelligible meaning: There's no sense in what he says. Significance refers particularly to a meaning that is implied rather than expressed: the significance of her glance; or to a meaning the importance of which may not be easy to perceive immediately: The real significance of his words was not grasped at the time. Purport is mainly limited to the meaning of a formal document, speech, important conversation, etc., and refers to the gist of something fairly complicated: the purport of your letter to the editor.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The NEH grant money being rescinded was mostly allocated on a reimbursement basis, Fujioka said — meaning organizations were expected to spend the money first, then get reimbursed.

From

"The risk with these additional tariffs is that they could push our wines past a psychological price threshold," warned Laurent Delaunay, president of the Bourgogne Wine Board - meaning above what buyers feel comfortable paying.

From

That's because the tax is paid by the domestic company importing the goods, which may choose to pass the cost on to customers, or to reduce imports, meaning fewer products are available.

From

Had the budget not passed, then the Welsh government would have reverted to a percentage of the previous year's budget, meaning a loss of billions of pounds.

From

Despite debuting at number one, it left the Top 40 after two weeks, and has yet to be certified gold - meaning it has sold fewer than 100,000 copies.

From

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