1
a
: the head of the chapter of a collegiate or cathedral church
b
: a Roman Catholic priest who supervises one district of a diocese
2
a
: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
b
: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling and disciplining students
3
dean
intransitive verb
Examples of dean in a Sentence
She's the dean of the university's business school.
the dean of liberal arts
Recent Examples on the Web
After moving to Houston in the mid-1970s to become head coach of Texas Southern University, Paige pivoted from the playing field to the classroom and education — first as a teacher, and then as administrator and eventually the dean of its college of education from 1984 to 1994.
—
CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Prior to his appointment as president, Swenson served as the school’s associate provost and executive dean of the College of Business and Technology.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Dec. 2025
Earlier this semester, IU Germanic studies professor Ben Robinson was punished after a dean found an anonymous complaint had merit — though Robinson claims an investigation never occurred.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
But individual technology solutions aren’t enough on their own, said Jin Xuan, associate dean of research and innovation at the University of Surrey and one of the paper’s authors.
—Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
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CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Prior to his appointment as president, Swenson served as the school’s associate provost and executive dean of the College of Business and Technology.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Dec. 2025
Earlier this semester, IU Germanic studies professor Ben Robinson was punished after a dean found an anonymous complaint had merit — though Robinson claims an investigation never occurred.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
But individual technology solutions aren’t enough on their own, said Jin Xuan, associate dean of research and innovation at the University of Surrey and one of the paper’s authors.
—Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dean
noun1
: the head of the chapter of a cathedral church
2
a
: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
b
: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling or disciplining students
3
: the senior member of a group
the dean of the diplomatic corps
Biographical Definition
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