be meant to (do something)

be meant to (do something)

To be obliged or supposed to do something. It's nearly 6:30. Aren't you meant to be seeing a movie at 7 o'clock? Hey, you're meant to have your homework finished before you go out, you know that! I knew I was meant to do the laundry as part of my chores, but I just didn't feel like it.

See also: meant, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

mean to (do something)

to intend to do something. Did you mean to do that? No, it was an accident. I didn't mean to.

See also: mean, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

mean to

Intend to, as in I meant to go running this morning but got up too late, or I'm sorry I broke it-I didn't mean to. This idiom was first recorded in 1560.

See also: mean, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.