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
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.
Some even believe they were meant to be F1 drivers if just given the chance. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 Fauna, which is filled with beautiful tilework and flooded with daytime light, is meant to evoke the style and casual warmth of a Catalan bourgeois house. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 Passive mitigations, Albrech emphasized, are the key measures meant to reduce the impact of disasters like clearing debris, improving infrastructure, making smart land use decisions and implementing systems that kick in automatically. Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025 Makeup is meant to become one with your skincare routine in a sense. Lizzie Hyman, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for meant to (be/do something)

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

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 29 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!