1
a
: the head of the chapter of a collegiate or cathedral church
b
: a Roman Catholic priest who supervises one district of a diocese
2
a
: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
b
: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling and disciplining students
3
dean
intransitive verb
Examples of dean in a Sentence
She's the dean of the university's business school.
the dean of liberal arts
Recent Examples on the Web
National Dems boost Moore’s budget message; state Dems focus on Hogan
Johns Hopkins selects new dean of public health after global search
READER POLL: Who gave the best commencement speech?
—
Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun, 29 May 2025
In addition to investigating allegations of drinking with students, Hiestand was tasked with investigating claims of harassment between two parties: the coaches and deans accused of partying with students and a teacher who reported them.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 23 May 2025
Grijalva was the dean of Arizona's congressional delegation, first elected in 2002, and at one point served as a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
Shakira Henderson is the dean and chief administrative officer of the University of Florida College of Nursing.
—Shakira Henderson, Sun Sentinel, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun, 29 May 2025
In addition to investigating allegations of drinking with students, Hiestand was tasked with investigating claims of harassment between two parties: the coaches and deans accused of partying with students and a teacher who reported them.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 23 May 2025
Grijalva was the dean of Arizona's congressional delegation, first elected in 2002, and at one point served as a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
Shakira Henderson is the dean and chief administrative officer of the University of Florida College of Nursing.
—Shakira Henderson, Sun Sentinel, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dean
noun1
: the head of the chapter of a cathedral church
2
a
: the head of a division, faculty, college, or school of a university
b
: a college or secondary school administrator in charge of counseling or disciplining students
3
: the senior member of a group
the dean of the diplomatic corps
Biographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share