of sound / word / sign
1 ~ (of sth) [U,C] the thing or idea that a sound, word, sign, etc. represents:
What's the meaning of this word? * Words often have several meanings. * 'Honesty'? He doesn't know the meaning of the word!
of what sb says / does
2 [U,C] the things or ideas that sb wishes to communicate to you by what they say or do:
I don't quite get your meaning (= understand what you mean to say). * What's the meaning of this? I explicitly told you not to leave the room.
of feeling / experience
3 the real importance of a feeling or experience:
With Anna he learned the meaning of love.
of book / painting
4 [U,C] the ideas that a writer, artist, etc. wishes to communicate through a book, painting, etc:
several layers of meaning * There are, of course, deeper meanings in the poem.
sense of purpose
5 [U] the quality or sense of purpose that makes you feel that your life is valuable:
Her life seemed to have lost all meaning. * Having a child gave new meaning to their lives.
adjective [usuallybeforenoun] (rare) = MEANINGFUL
