intend
verb
Simple meaning
To fix the mind upon.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihntehndSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnˈtɛnd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
(ambitransitive, usually followed by particle "to" + verb, or "on"/"upon" + noun) To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
To fix the mind on; attend to; take care of; superintend; regard.
Have in mind as a purpose
To design mechanically or artistically; fashion; mold.
To bend or turn; direct, as one's course or journey.
Design or destine
“She was intended to become the director.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (ambitransitive, usually followed by particle "to" + verb, or "on"/"upon" + noun) To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
Used this way, intend is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It quietly approves while staying precise.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Successful and accomplished
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use intend
- “She was intended to become the director.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Resulting from one's intentions.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.