intention
Americannoun
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an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.
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the end or object intended; purpose.
- Synonyms:
- goal
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intentions,
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purpose or attitude toward the effect of one's actions or conduct.
a bungler with good intentions.
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purpose or attitude with respect to marriage.
Our friends are beginning to ask what our intentions are.
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the act or fact of intending.
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Logic.
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Also called first intention,. Also called primary intention. reference by signs, concepts, etc., to concrete things, their properties, classes, or the relationships among them.
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Also called second intention,. Also called secondary intention. reference to properties, classes, or the relationships among first intentions.
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Surgery, Medicine/Medical. a manner or process of healing, as in the healing of a lesion or fracture without granulation healing by first intention or the healing of a wound by granulation after suppuration healing by second intention.
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meaning or significance.
The intention of his words was clear.
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the person or thing meant to benefit from a prayer or religious offering.
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Archaic. intentness.
noun
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a purpose or goal; aim
it is his intention to reform
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law the resolve or design with which a person does or refrains from doing an act, a necessary ingredient of certain offences
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med a natural healing process, as by first intention , in which the edges of a wound cling together with no tissue between, or by second intention , in which the wound edges adhere with granulation tissue
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(usually plural) design or purpose with respect to a proposal of marriage (esp in the phrase honourable intentions )
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an archaic word for meaning intentness
Synonym Usage
Intention, intent, purpose all refer to a wish that one means to carry out. Intention is the general word: His intention is good. Intent is chiefly legal or literary: attack with intent to kill. Purpose implies having a goal or determination to achieve something: Her strong sense of purpose is reflected in her studies.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of intention
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English intencio(u)n, from Latin intentiōn- (stem of intentiō ). See intent 2, -ion
Explanation
An intention is idea that you plan (or intend) to carry out. If you mean something, it's an intention. Your goal, purpose, or aim is your intention. It's something you mean to do, whether you pull it off or not. You may have the best intention of cooking an incredible meal, but if you leave the burner on and burn the house down, you will not be remembered as an excellent chef. When a father asks his daughter's boyfriend "What are your intentions?" that means something specific: Does he want to marry her?
Vocabulary lists containing intention
List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We knew last year when we canceled the meet that we had every intention leading up to the Olympics to be present in the L.A. market,” Siegel said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026
"I have every intention of returning from Lisbon to carry on my work in Uganda," she said.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
This would complete a trifecta of giant flotations this year with SpaceX launching this Friday and Anthropic also announcing its intention to go public last week.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
Some of these were booked by third party resellers using bots with the intention of charging inflated prices but were unable to sell them, the BBC understands.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Bats usually wheel and flit about, but this one seemed to go straight on, as if it knew where it was bound for or had some intention of its own.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
