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
Synonyms
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
In 2016, Ah Yun came to Marquette to serve as dean of the communications college.
—
Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Pedro Noguera, dean of the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, said becoming a principal makes the most sense for teachers who want a leadership role and hope to have a wider impact on campus.
—Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2024
So much so that last month, shared seven tips on how to lead effectively as a teammate in a Harvard Business Review article, co-authored by former Harvard Business School dean Nitin Nohria.
—Natalie Wu, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024
Pedro Noguera, dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, said L.A. Unified remains obligated to help Black students succeed — and activists should track the data and continue to demand results.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
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.
Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Pedro Noguera, dean of the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, said becoming a principal makes the most sense for teachers who want a leadership role and hope to have a wider impact on campus.
—Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2024
So much so that last month, shared seven tips on how to lead effectively as a teammate in a Harvard Business Review article, co-authored by former Harvard Business School dean Nitin Nohria.
—Natalie Wu, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2024
Pedro Noguera, dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, said L.A. Unified remains obligated to help Black students succeed — and activists should track the data and continue to demand results.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dean
Dictionary Entries Near dean
Cite this Entry
“Dean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dean. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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