mete

1 of 2

verb

ˈmēt How to pronounce mete (audio)
meted; meting

transitive verb

1
: to give out by measure : dole out
She realized the stern retribution which justice metes to the murderer.—Edgar Rice Burroughs
—usually used with out
mete out punishment
2
archaic : measure

mete

2 of 2

noun

: boundary
metes and bounds

Synonyms of mete

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Verb

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Examples of mete in a Sentence

Verb determined to mete out an appropriate punishment for the CEO guilty of insider trading
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
May today and every day lead us to the ultimate finish line – meting you at the pearly gates. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025 So what it's forced us to do is talk about the kind of consequences that society is not going to mete out to Joe Goldberg necessarily. — Anhar Karim, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023
Noun
It has not yet been snared in a catalog of designations and coordinates, of metes and bounds. — Barry Lopez, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019 Common sense would dictate asking for nothing short of the moon back, especially with the leverage mete running. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019 See All Example Sentences for mete

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English metan; akin to Old High German mezzan to measure, Latin modus measure, Greek medesthai to be mindful of

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin meta

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mete was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing mete

Rhymes for mete

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Browse Nearby Words

Metchnikoff
mete
metempiric
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Cite this Entry

“Mete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mete. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

mete

verb
ˈmēt
meted; meting
: to distribute in a fair or proper manner
mete out rewards

More from Merriam-Webster on mete

Nglish: Translation of mete for Spanish Speakers

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