Intend
WordNet
verb
(1) Have in mind as a purpose
"I mean no harm"
"I only meant to help you"
"She didn't think to harm me"
"We thought to return early that night"
(2) Design or destine
"She was intended to become the director"
(3) Denote or connote
"`maison' means `house' in French"
"An example sentence would show what this word means"
(4) Mean or intend to express or convey
"You never understand what I mean!"
"What do his words intend?"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From entend, “direct (one’s) attention towards”, from entendre, from intendere.
Verb
- To stretch to extend; distend.
- To strain; make tense.
- To intensify; strengthen.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Book I, New York 2001, p. 139:
- Dotage, fatuity, or folly [...] is for the most part intended or remitted in particular men, and thereupon some are wiser than others [...].
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Book I, New York 2001, p. 139:
- To apply with energy.
- To bend or turn; direct, as one’s course or journey.
- To fix the mind on; attend to; take care of; superintend; regard.
- To fix the mind upon (something to be accomplished); be intent upon; mean; design; plan; purpose.
- To design mechanically or artistically; fashion; mold.
- To pretend; counterfeit; simulate.
Usage notes
- This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs