Don’t use ‘me’ when the person who is speaking is both the subject and the object of the verb. Don’t say, for example, ‘
ME /e m iː / N‑UNCOUNT ME is a long-lasting illness that is thought to be caused by a virus. Its symptoms include feeling tired all the time and muscle pain. ME is an abbreviation for 'myalgic encephalomyelitis'.
mead /miː d/ N‑UNCOUNT In former times, mead was an alcoholic drink made of honey, spices, and water.
mead|ow /me doʊ/ (meadows ) N‑COUNT A meadow is a field which has grass and flowers growing in it.
mea|gre /miː gə r / in AM, use meager ADJ If you describe an amount or quantity of something as meagre , you are critical of it because it is very small or not enough. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The bank's staff were already angered by a meagre 3.1% pay rise.
meal ◆◇◇ /miː l/ (meals )
1 N‑COUNT A meal is an occasion when people sit down and eat, usually at a regular time. □ She sat next to him throughout the meal. □ It's rare that I have an evening meal with my children.
2 N‑COUNT A meal is the food you eat during a meal. □ The waiter offered him red wine or white wine with his meal.
3 → see also bone meal
4 PHRASE If you think someone is taking more time and energy to do something than is necessary, you can say that they are making a meal of it. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Lawyers always make such a meal of the simplest little thing.
5 PHRASE If you have a square meal , you have a large healthy meal.
mea ls on whee ls also Meals on Wheels N‑UNCOUNT In Britain, meals on wheels is a service provided by the local authority that delivers hot meals to people who are too old or too sick to cook for themselves.
mea l tick|et also meal-ticket N‑SING If you say that something or someone is a meal ticket , you mean that they provide a person with money or a lifestyle which they would not otherwise have. □ His chosen field was unlikely to be a meal ticket for life. □ I don't intend to be a meal-ticket for anyone.
meal|time /miː lta I m/ (mealtimes ) also meal time N‑VAR [usu pl] Mealtimes are occasions when you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. □ At mealtimes he would watch her eat.
mealy /miː li/ ADJ Food that is dry and powdery can be described as mealy . □ …the mealy stodge of pulse, grain and potato dishes.
mealy-mouthed /miː limaʊ ðd/ ADJ If you say that someone is being mealy-mouthed , you are critical of them for being unwilling to speak in a simple or open way because they want to avoid talking directly about something unpleasant. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He repeated that he did not intend to be mealy-mouthed with the country's leaders.
mean
➊ VERB USES
➋ ADJECTIVE USES
➌ NOUN USE
➊ mean ◆◆◆ /miː n/ (means , meaning , meant )
→ Please look at categories 20 and 21 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 VERB [no cont] If you want to know what a word, code, signal, or gesture means , you want to know what it refers to or what its message is. □ [V n] In modern Welsh, 'glas' means 'blue'. □ [V that] The red signal means you can shoot.
2 VERB [no cont] If you ask someone what they mean , you are asking them to explain exactly what or who they are referring to or what they are intending to say. □ [V n] Do you mean me? □ [V that] I think he means that he does not want this marriage to turn out like his friend's.
3 VERB [no cont] If something means something to you, it is important to you in some way. □ The idea that she witnessed this shameful incident meant nothing to him. □ [V n to-inf] It would mean a lot to them to win. [Also V amount]
4 VERB [no cont] If one thing means another, it shows that the second thing exists or is true. □ [V n] An enlarged prostate does not necessarily mean cancer. □ [V that] Just because he has a beard doesn't necessarily mean he's a hippy.
5 VERB [no cont] If one thing means another, the first thing leads to the second thing happening. □ [V n] It would almost certainly mean the end of NATO. □ [V that] Failure to act now will mean that our society will change beyond recognition.
6 VERB If doing one thing means doing another, it involves doing the second thing. □ [V v-ing] Managing well means communicating well.
7 VERB [no cont] If you say that you mean what you are saying, you are telling someone that you are serious about it and are not joking, exaggerating, or just being polite. □ [V n] He says you're fired if you're not back at work on Friday. And I think he meant it.
8 VERB [no cont] If you say that someone meant to do something, you are saying that they did it deliberately. □ [V to-inf] I didn't mean to hurt you. □ [V n to-inf] I can see why you believed my letters were threatening but I never meant them to be.
9 VERB [no cont] If you say that someone did not mean any harm, offence, or disrespect, you are saying that they did not intend to upset or offend people or to cause problems, even though they may in fact have done so. □ [V n] I'm sure he didn't mean any harm.
10 VERB [no cont] If you mean to do something, you intend or plan to do it. □ [V to-inf] Summer is the perfect time to catch up on the new books you meant to read.
11 VERB [usu passive, no cont] If you say that something was meant to happen, you believe that it was made to happen by God or fate, and did not just happen by chance. □ [be V -ed to-inf] John was constantly reassuring me that we were meant to be together.