meant to (be/do something)
idiom
1
: intended to (do or be something)
I was never meant to teach.
They knew as soon as they met that they were meant to be together.
I thought we could be friends, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
2
British
: supposed to (be or do something)
The buses are meant to arrive every 15 minutes.
Brighton is meant to be very beautiful at this time of year.
Examples of meant to (be/do something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If it is meant to be, the college or university will reach out.
—
Brennan Barnard, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
The submersible, like a submarine, is meant to take people under water, but is smaller and less self-sufficient than military-grade submarines.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 24 May 2025
The party was not meant to be an occasion to sweat Herzig’s potential million-dollar win.
—David Hill, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
Held’s recipes are rooted in French cooking but meant to be guidebooks more than encyclopedias.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for meant to (be/do something)
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Brennan Barnard, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
The submersible, like a submarine, is meant to take people under water, but is smaller and less self-sufficient than military-grade submarines.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 24 May 2025
The party was not meant to be an occasion to sweat Herzig’s potential million-dollar win.
—David Hill, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
Held’s recipes are rooted in French cooking but meant to be guidebooks more than encyclopedias.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for meant to (be/do something)
Cite this Entry
“Meant to (be/do something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meant%20to%20%28be%2Fdo%20something%29. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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