mean over the

USAGE SUMMARY

'mean over the' is not a correct part of a sentence in written English.
To use it correctly, you could say 'I mean over the course of the day...'.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

That captured perfectly all that the tournament came to mean over the years.

The New York Times - Sports

Even if Mr. Huckabee wins here, what that would mean over the course of the campaign is another question.

The New York Times

Furthermore, none of these values predicted the increase in happiness (Pearson correlation; n=48, final trial: r=0.08, P=0.57; mean over the final five trials: Pearson correlation; n=48, r=0.11, P=0.46; mean over the final 10 trials: Pearson correlation; n=48, r=−0.01, P=0.96; mean over the final 20 trials: Pearson correlation; n=48, r=−0.03, P=0.82).

Nature

It will mean, over the cycle, that they will have more capital on average and thus lower profits.

The Economist

When you look at what that would mean over the course of a single week, you're talking about over 1,000 cases, in English, in the UK alone".

The Guardian

But now, economists and policy experts are facing the thorny and politically freighted question of what the United States' inequality might mean over the next several years.

The New York Times

The "Texas experiment" offers a chilling insight into what "compassionate conservatism" will mean over the next four years for 40m Americans with substance-abuse problems.

The Guardian

I mean, over the past five years it's been so intense - we've had many periods when we've worked from 7.30 in the morning till 9.30 or 10 at night for months on end.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Comparative studies show that there are some potential benefits, especially the desirable robustness property, of the synthetic t chart with estimated process mean over the synthetic ¯¯¯X, Shewhart ¯¯¯X and t charts with estimated process parameters or mean.

Computers & Industrial Engineering

Main Outcome Measures: Peak torque and average torque (ie, mean over the range of motion tested) from an ensemble-averaged (3 trials) torque-angle curve during isokinetic concentric extension and flexion movements of the ankle, knee, and hip.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

By which I mean: over the years I have seen far too many clients make disastrous mistakes.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity, consider rephrasing sentences using “mean” with prepositions like “by” or “to” to avoid the awkwardness of the phrase “mean over the”.

Common error

Be mindful of preposition use with "mean"; instead of using "mean over the", try to rephrase to use 'mean by', 'mean for', or 'mean to' to improve sentence correctness and clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "mean over the" functions incorrectly as it tries to express a relationship between a central value and a range or duration. As Ludwig AI confirms, this is not standard English. The examples illustrate attempts to use it in scientific and news contexts, but its grammatical awkwardness undermines effective communication.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

44%

News & Media

40%

Wiki

4%

Less common in

Formal & Business

4%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "mean over the" appears in a number of contexts, predominantly in scientific and news-related articles, it is considered grammatically incorrect by Ludwig AI. The intended meaning typically relates to calculating an average across a range or time period. Due to its grammatical flaws, it's advisable to use more precise and conventional alternatives, such as "average across", "intended to", or restructure the sentence for improved clarity. Although numerous examples exist, the sources’ authority doesn’t compensate for the underlying grammatical issue. Therefore, aiming for grammatical accuracy and clarity is always recommended.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

signify over the

Emphasizes the meaning or significance over a specific duration or context.

imply over the

Highlights what is suggested or indicated, rather than explicitly stated, over a period.

say over the

Focuses on what is communicated or expressed, possibly contrasting with what is actually done.

involve over the

Stresses the elements or aspects that are included or affected over time.

represent over the

Highlights the role of symbolizing or standing for something else over a certain scope.

pressures over the

Refers to the forces or influences exerted over a specific period or situation.

cases over the

Focuses on individual instances or occurrences within a defined range or scope.

implications over the

Highlights the potential consequences or effects across a specific duration.

average over the

Indicates a calculated mean or typical value across a data set or range.

median over the

Identifies the middle value in a dataset, providing a measure of central tendency.

FAQs

How can I correctly use "mean" with a preposition?

Instead of the grammatically questionable "mean over the", consider using phrases like "mean by", such as "What do you "mean by that"?", or "mean for", as in "This is meant for you."

What are some alternatives to "mean over the" in a sentence?

Depending on the context, you might use phrases like "average across", "signify during", or "imply throughout" instead of "mean over the" to convey a similar meaning while adhering to standard grammatical conventions.

Is "mean over the" grammatically correct in formal writing?

No, "mean over the" is generally considered grammatically incorrect. Use more precise alternatives like "average over", "intended to", or restructure the sentence for better clarity and correctness.

How does the context affect the best alternative for "mean over the"?

The ideal alternative depends on the specific context. If discussing numerical data, "average across" or "mean across" may be suitable. If discussing intentions or purposes, "intended to" or "meant for" might be better choices.