What is the past participle of mean?

The past participle of mean is meant.

What are the three forms of mean?

The three forms are mean – meant – meant: base form, past simple and past participle.

Is mean a regular or an irregular verb?

Mean is irregular: its past simple is meant, not meaned.

Mean past tense: meant, meant

intend, signify

Mean is an irregular English verb: the past simple of mean is meant and the past participle is meant. Learn the three forms together — mean – meant – meant.

Verb forms

Base form

mean

/miːn/

Past Simple

meant

/ment/

Past Participle

meant

/ment/

Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).

Example sentences

Base form · mean

What does this word mean in English?

Past Simple · meant

I meant to call you, but I forgot.

Past Participle · meant

This gift has meant a lot to me.

Key tenses

Present Simple	Past Simple	Present Perfect
I mean he / she / it means	I meant	I have meant
Present Continuous:I am meaning · he / she / it is meaning

Learn when to use these forms:Past Simple lesson →Present Perfect lesson →

Common collocations

mean well

to have good intentions

Grammar guide

Mean belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (meant). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.

Past simple – meant: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
Past participle – meant: after have, has or had (present perfect, past perfect) and after be in the passive voice.
Questions and negatives in the past simple use did + the base form: Did you mean…? I didn’t mean.

Verbs with the same pattern

have — had — had say — said — said get — got — got/gotten make — made — made think — thought — thought find — found — found

Quick quiz

Which sentence is correct?

Questions about mean

What is the past simple of mean?: The past simple of mean is meant.
What is the past participle of mean?: The past participle of mean is meant.
What are the three forms of mean?: The three forms are mean – meant – meant: base form, past simple and past participle.
Is mean a regular or an irregular verb?: Mean is irregular: its past simple is meant, not meaned.