meant to (be/do something)

idiom

: 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.

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

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.

The book is by no means meant to be prescriptive, but rather serves as a guide for those looking for a starting point. —

Rosana Lai, Glamour, 1 Jan. 2025 New laws to curb retail theft: Over the summer, the Legislature passed a sweeping package of 11 bills meant to address retail theft. —

Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025 Britney Spears hasn’t spent much of her career recording music meant to be played around the holidays. —

Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024 The latest calculations on human brain speed cast doubt on the arguments for neural-computer interfacing devices meant to accelerate our communication speed, per the statement. —

Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for meant to (be/do something)

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“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 Jan. 2025.

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