adj

mere

meer

adj

Nothing more than; only, and nothing else — used to play down the size or importance of something.

"It took a mere five minutes to finish the whole test."

"She was a mere child when the family moved abroad."

noun

A lake or pond, especially a broad, shallow one (mostly seen today in place names like Windermere).

"The village sits beside a quiet mere fringed with reeds."

How to Use Mere

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishUsed to emphasize how small, ordinary, or unimportant something is.

Common pairings

a mere fraction the mere thought of it mere coincidence

merer comparative, mered past tense, meres plural, meres plural, meres plural, meres singular, merest superlative

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It took a _____ five minutes to finish the whole test.

From Old French mier, from Latin merus ("pure, undiluted") — the same root gives us the sense of "nothing but, simply."

alone bare just only simple very

total

accurate open almost right very bad so learned

ere here were Pere dere Vere Gere there where Frere Shere sphere

alone bare just only simple very total accurate open almost right bad