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
Pageants, deans' lists, graduations or military enlistments are not accepted.
—
Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
Kim Elaine Barrett, the vice dean of research at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, said her school lost grants aimed at building a biomedical workforce that is more representative of the population.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 18 June 2025
More than 50% of both MD and PhD programs are filled with women, but only 12% become full professors, department chairs or deans.
—Afshan Musani, CNBC, 18 June 2025
The year Yang switched, the new dean of the media school had the students make a feature-length film based on a play.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
Kim Elaine Barrett, the vice dean of research at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, said her school lost grants aimed at building a biomedical workforce that is more representative of the population.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 18 June 2025
More than 50% of both MD and PhD programs are filled with women, but only 12% become full professors, department chairs or deans.
—Afshan Musani, CNBC, 18 June 2025
The year Yang switched, the new dean of the media school had the students make a feature-length film based on a play.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 June 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 26 Jun. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share