What does mete mean?
Mete is a formal English verb meaning to allot or dispense something, usually a punishment, penalty, reward, or form of justice. Its most recognizable use is in the phrase "mete out," where it has a stern, judicial, or moral tone: a court may mete out a sentence, while a person may be accused of meting out revenge. Mete is often mistaken for meet, but although the words sound alike, meet means to encounter or come together, whereas mete concerns measuring or distributing. In older usage, mete could simply mean "measure," and that earlier sense helps explain its history and its association with giving something out according to a measure. Today, the verb is literary and somewhat uncommon outside elevated prose, formal writing, legal contexts, or deliberately archaic expression. Because of its cadence and authority, it remains useful when the aim is to portray punishment or judgment as something formally dispensed rather than casually imposed.
verbTo allot or dispense, especially punishment, reward, or justice. In archaic usage, it can also mean to measure or assess.
- To allot, dispense, or deal out something, especially punishment, reward, or justice.
- Archaic: to measure or assess.
"The court will mete out its judgment after hearing the case."
"The prosecutor asked the court to mete out the full penalty permitted by law."
"His critics accused him of meting out revenge rather than justice."
With its solemn cadence, "mete out justice" sounds like a verdict delivered from on high—and it means precisely that.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mete come from?
The verb descends from Old English mētan, meaning "to measure, compare, or reckon," from Proto-Germanic *metaną and the Indo-European root *mey- ("to measure"). Over time, it developed the sense of assigning or giving out by measure, and the modern expression "mete out" preserves that older idea of allotment. Cognates include German messen and Dutch meten, while related English vocabulary includes measure, metre, and metric.
How mete is actually used
Mete is now formal, literary, or archaic in tone. Its standalone use is uncommon in ordinary modern English, and it is especially associated with the expression "mete out."
Easily confused with mete
Meet means to come together or encounter, whereas mete means to allot or dispense something, especially punishment or justice.