What do you mean or meant?
The irregular verb, mean, (present tense) is debatably one of the most commonly used words in the English language. We use the word ‘mean‘ to ask what something refers to, i.e., ‘what does that mean?’
Mean is also a homophone, and can be an adjective that describes someone as unkind or unpleasant, e.g., ‘stop being so mean to me!’ This is not the sense in which we are discussing ‘mean‘, since we are looking at it as a verb.
She meant to stop by earlier.
She meaned to call you earlier.
To start with a definition, the irregular verb, ”mean” means “to express or represent something such as an idea, thought, or fact: what does this word mean?” (Cambridge dictionary, mean) Mean is also used in a variety of other ways, and can convey different things depending on the context.
What are the forms of mean?
| Tense | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I mean | I meant | I will mean |
| Continuous | I am meaning | I was meaning | I will be meaning |
| Perfect | I have meant | I had meant | I will have meant |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been meaning | I had been meaning | I will have been meaning |
What is the past participle of the word mean?
The answer is that meant is both the simple past tense and the past participle of mean. The contexts in which to use either past form, and their correct use, does slightly differ from each other. See the sentences below:
Simple past: She meant what she said.
Past perfect: We had meant to surprise them, but they found out in advance.
The participle form pairs with the auxiliary verb had to form the past perfect tense (more formally known as the pluperfect). The pluperfect demonstrates other senses of time where what occurred in the past took place before something else which also took place in the past. The simple past tense is more basic and simply refers to an event that occurred in the past.
Practice using the verb in different tenses with example sentences to memorize the correct forms.
Mean/meant, in sentence examples
| Word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| mean | You should take it as a compliment when I fall asleep in your company – it means I’m relaxed.
I mean to finish my work before the deadline. She means well, but sometimes her actions may be misinterpreted. |
| meant |
The gift she had meant to give her friend was accidentally left at home.
The note he wrote was meant to express his gratitude for their help. The project’s success had always been meant to showcase their team’s capabilities. |
Synonyms and phrases
All of these words can convey a similar meaning to the word “mean“, though there may be subtle differences in each of them. Make sure to choose the appropriate word for the specific context in which it’s used!
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| synonyms | signify, imply, denote, indicate, represent, express, intend, entail, suggest, convey |
| phrases | mean streak, mean spirited, ‘you mean the world to me’, the golden mean, to mean business, to deviate from the mean, mean value, peaceful, polite |
Origin of mean
“Intend, have in mind;” Middle English mēnen, from Old English mænan “intend (to do something), plan; indicate (a certain object) or convey (a certain sense) when using a word,” from Proto-West Germanic *menjojanan
Worksheet: Mean, verb conjugations
I didn’t understand what she ______ by that comment.
Success often ______ hard work and dedication.
What is the ______ of this passage?
He had ______ to call you yesterday, but he forgot.
I don’t ______ to be rude, but that’s not correct.
FAQs
What is past tense of mean?
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What is past participle of mean?
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Is ‘mean’ regular or irregular verb?
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When do you use ‘meant’ simple past?
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When do you use ‘meant’ past participle?
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Yash, D. "How to use Mean or Meant? (Irregular Verb Forms)." Grammarflex, Sep 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/mean-or-meant/.
