meaning
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mean·ing
(mē′nĭng)n.
1.
a. The denotation, referent, or idea associated with a word or phrase: How many meanings does the word "dog" have?
b. Something that is conveyed or intended, especially by language; sense or significance: The writer's meaning was obscured by convoluted prose.
2. An interpreted goal, intent, or end: "The central meaning of his pontificate is to restore papal authority" (Conor Cruise O'Brien).
3. A sense of importance or purpose: When he became a teacher, he felt that his life had meaning.
adj.
1. Disposed or intended in a specified manner. Often used in combination: a well-meaning fellow; ill-meaning intentions.
2. Full of meaning; expressive: gave me a meaning look.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
meaning
(ˈmiːnɪŋ)n
1. the sense or significance of a word, sentence, symbol, etc; import; semantic or lexical content
2. the purpose underlying or intended by speech, action, etc
3. the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message: the meaning of a dream.
4. valid content; efficacy: a law with little or no meaning.
5. (Philosophy) philosophy
a. the sense of an expression; its connotation
b. the reference of an expression; its denotation. In recent philosophical writings meaning can be used in both the above senses. See also sense12
adj
expressive of some sense, intention, criticism, etc: a meaning look.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
mean•ing
(ˈmi nɪŋ)n.
1. what is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated; import: the three meanings of a word.
2. the end, purpose, or significance of something.
adj. 3. intentioned (usu. used in combination): a well-meaning person.
4. expressive: a meaning look.
[1250–1300]
mean′ing•ly, adv.
syn: meaning, sense, significance, purport denote that which is expressed or indicated by language or action. meaning is general, describing that which is intended to be, or actually is, expressed: the meaning of a statement. sense often refers to a particular meaning of a word or phrase: The word “run” has many senses. sense may also be used of meaning that is intelligible or reasonable: There's no sense in what you say. significance refers to a meaning that is only implied: the significance of a glance. It may also refer to a meaning the importance of which is not immediately perceived: We did not grasp its significance until years later. purport usu. refers to the essential meaning of something complicated: the purport of a theory.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
meaning
– intention – opinion1. 'meaning'
The meaning of a word, expression, or gesture is the thing or idea that it refers to or represents.
The word 'guide' is used with various meanings.
This gesture has the same meaning throughout Italy.
The meaning of what someone says is what they intend to express.
The meaning of his remark was clear.
2. 'intention'
Don't use 'meaning' to refer to what someone intends to do. Don't say, for example, 'His meaning was to leave without paying'. Say 'His intention was to leave without paying'.
Their intention is to finish the work by Friday.
3. 'opinion'
Don't use 'meaning' to refer to what someone thinks about something. Don't say, for example, 'I think he should go. What's your meaning?' You say 'I think he should go. What's your opinion?'
My opinion is that this is completely the wrong thing to do.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  meaning - the message that is intended or expressed or signified; "what is the meaning of this sentence"; "the significance of a red traffic light"; "the signification of Chinese characters"; "the import of his announcement was ambiguous"lexical meaning - the meaning of a content word that depends on the nonlinguistic concepts it is used to express grammatical meaning - the meaning of a word that depends on its role in a sentence; varies with inflectional form symbolisation, symbolization - the use of symbols to convey meaning signified, sense - the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted; "the dictionary gave several senses for the word"; "in the best sense charity is really a duty"; "the signifier is linked to the signified" connotation, intension - what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression referent - something referred to; the object of a reference moral, lesson - the significance of a story or event; "the moral of the story is to love thy neighbor" nuance, subtlety, nicety, refinement, shade - a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude; "without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning" overtone - (usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality; "overtones of despair" point - a brief version of the essential meaning of something; "get to the point"; "he missed the point of the joke"; "life has lost its point" |
| 2. | meaning - the idea that is intended; "What is the meaning of this proverb?" idea, thought - the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about; "it was not a good idea"; "the thought never entered my mind" semantics - the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text; "a petty argument about semantics" implication, significance, import - a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred; "the significance of his remark became clear only later"; "the expectation was spread both by word and by implication" tenor, strain - the general meaning or substance of an utterance; "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument" undercurrent, undertone - a subdued emotional quality underlying an utterance; implicit meaning denotation, reference, extension - the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; "the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos" reference - the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to; "he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes" connotation - an idea that is implied or suggested | |
| Adj. | 1. | meaning - rich in significance or implication; "a meaning look" meaningful - having a meaning or purpose; "a meaningful explanation"; "a meaningful discussion"; "a meaningful pause" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
meaning
noun
1. significance, message, explanation, substance, value, import, implication, drift, interpretation, essence, purport, connotation, upshot, gist, signification I became more aware of the symbols and their meanings.
2. definition, sense, interpretation, explication, elucidation, denotation arguing over the exact meaning of this word or that
adjective
1. expressive, meaningful, pointed, revealing, significant, speaking, pregnant, suggestive, telltale He nodded and gave me a meaning look.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
meaning
noun1. That which is signified by a word or expression:
2. The thread or current of thought uniting or occurring in all the elements of a text or discourse:
3. What one intends to do or achieve:
aim, ambition, design, end, goal, intent, intention, mark, object, objective, point, purpose, target, view, why.
Idioms: end in view, why and wherefore.
4. The gist of a specific action or situation:
Effectively conveying meaning, feeling, or mood:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ذو مَغْزىمَعْنىمَعْنَى
významsmyslvýznamný
betydningmeningsigende
merkitystarkoitus
značenje
jelentés
meiningmerkingòÿîingarmikill
意味
뜻
pomensmisel
betydelsemening
ความหมาย
ý nghĩa
meaning
[ˈmiːnɪŋ]A. N
1. (= sense) [of word] → significado m, acepción f; [of phrase] → significado m; [of life, work] → sentido m
this word has lots of meanings → esta palabra tiene muchos significados or muchas acepciones
life has no meaning for her now → ahora para ella la vida no tiene sentido
double meaning → doble sentido
do you get my meaning? → ¿me entiendes?, ¿me comprendes?
he doesn't know the meaning of the word (fig) → ni sabe lo que eso significa
what's the meaning of "hick"? → ¿qué significa "hick"?, ¿qué quiere decir "hick"?
what's the meaning of this? (as reprimand) → ¿se puede saber qué significa esto?
this word has lots of meanings → esta palabra tiene muchos significados or muchas acepciones
life has no meaning for her now → ahora para ella la vida no tiene sentido
double meaning → doble sentido
do you get my meaning? → ¿me entiendes?, ¿me comprendes?
he doesn't know the meaning of the word (fig) → ni sabe lo que eso significa
what's the meaning of "hick"? → ¿qué significa "hick"?, ¿qué quiere decir "hick"?
what's the meaning of this? (as reprimand) → ¿se puede saber qué significa esto?
B. ADJ [look etc] → significativo, lleno de intención
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
meaning
[ˈmiːnɪŋ] nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
meaning
adj look etc → vielsagend, bedeutsam
n → Bedeutung f; (= sense: of words, poem etc also) → Sinn m; a look full of meaning → ein bedeutungsvoller or bedeutsamer Blick; what’s the meaning of (the word) “hick”? → was soll das Wort „hick“ heißen or bedeuten?; to mistake somebody’s meaning → jdn missverstehen; do you get my meaning? → haben Sie mich (richtig) verstanden?; you don’t know the meaning of love/hunger → du weißt ja gar nicht, was Liebe/Hunger ist or bedeutet; what’s the meaning of this? → was hat denn das zu bedeuten?, was soll denn das (heißen)?
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
meaning
[ˈmiːnɪŋ] n → significato, sensoa look full of meaning → uno sguardo eloquente
do you get my meaning? → capisci cosa voglio dire?
what's the meaning of this? (as reprimand) → e questo cosa significa?
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
mean3
(miːn) – past tense, past participle meant (ment) – verb1. to (intend to) express, show or indicate. `Vacation' means `holiday'; What do you mean by (saying/doing) that?
2. to intend. I meant to go to the exhibition but forgot; For whom was that letter meant?; He means (= is determined) to be a rich man some day.
ˈmeaning noun the sense in which a statement, action, word etc is (intended to be) understood. What is the meaning of this phrase?; What is the meaning of his behaviour?
adjective (of a look, glance etc) showing a certain feeling or giving a certain message. The teacher gave the boy a meaning look when he arrived late.
ˈmeaningful adjective (often used loosely) important in some way. a meaningful statement/relationship.
ˈmeaningless adjective without meaning or reason; of no importance. meaningless chatter.
be meant to to be required or supposed; to have to. The child is meant to be asleep!
mean well to have good intentions. He meant well by what he said.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
meaning
→ مَعْنَى význam betydning Bedeutung σημασία significado merkitys signification značenje significato 意味 뜻 betekenis betydning znaczenie significado значение betydelse ความหมาย anlam ý nghĩa 含意Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009