To intend means to plan or mean to do something. When you intend to finish your homework before dinner, you have that goal in mind even if you haven't started yet. When a teacher says she intends to give a pop quiz next week, she's telling you her plan.

The word captures the difference between what you mean to do and what actually happens. You might intend to wake up early but sleep through your alarm. A chef might intend a dish to be spicy but accidentally make it mild. Your intentions are your purposes or goals, separate from the results.

People often care deeply about intentions when judging behavior. If your brother breaks your favorite mug, it matters whether he intended to break it or whether it was an accident. If someone hurts your feelings, you might feel differently knowing they didn't intend any harm. Courts even consider whether someone intended to commit a crime or acted accidentally.

The word also describes design or purpose: a road intended for bicycles, a book intended for young readers, or a gift intended to cheer someone up. When you say something was well-intended, you mean the person had good purposes, even if things didn't work out perfectly.