I mean

used to clarify or correct a statement or to introduce a justification or explanation

I mean, it's not as if I owned property

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I mean

informal

1

— used to emphasize a statement

He has to stop drinking. I mean, he's going to kill himself if he keeps it up.

He throws, I mean, really hard!

2

— used to correct a previous statement

We met in Toronto–I mean Montreal.

3

— used when you are unsure of what to say or how to say it

I'm not mad. It's just that, I mean, I think you've been acting a little selfishly.

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Main Entry: ↑mean

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I mean idiom

(informal) used to explain or correct what you have just said

•

It was so boring— I mean, nothing happened for the first hour!

•

She's English— Scottish, I mean.

Main entry: ↑mean_idiom