plain meaning
collocation in Englishmeaningsofplainandmeaning
These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withmeaning.
plain
adjective
uk/pleɪn/us/pleɪn/
not decorated in any way; with ...
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meaning
noun
uk/ˈmiː.nɪŋ/us/ˈmiː.nɪŋ/
The meaning of something is what it expresses ...
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(Definition ofplainandmeaningfrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)
Examplesofplain meaning
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
The social salience theory may thus seem reminiscent of the "plainmeaning" school of statutory interpretation, but there are important differences.
From theCambridge English Corpus
There are powerful reasons-for example, of democracy and fairness-for giving great weight to theplainmeaningof the constitutional text.
From theCambridge English Corpus
So enactors' intentions count even under theplainmeaningapproach to statutor y interpretation.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Second, it is time-consuming and often wasteful to allow lawyers and judges to look behind the nor mal,plainmeaningof the statutor y words.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Legislative intention can instead be understood as entailed by the reasonable purpose of a statute, or the purpose that best fits the statutoryplainmeaning.
From theCambridge English Corpus
First, it is generally the case that the normal,plainmeaningof words coincides with their intended meaning.
From theCambridge English Corpus
He will want to be careful not to give an answer that implies thatplainmeaninghas sufficient application-determining effect on its own.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Grasping theplainmeaningof directives admits of degrees.
From theCambridge English Corpus
In particular, they often argue for a 'plainmeaning' interpretation where the law is clearly ambiguous.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Matters are not noticeably simpler in the case in which the legislative intention coincides withplainmeaning.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Schamp, here as elsewhere, distorts theplainmeaningof the text.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It follows that to ignore theplainmeaningwhen the independent intentions exist and are incompatible is, ironically, to undermine a possible source of the legislature's legitimate authority.
From theCambridge English Corpus
He can also say that this relationship might not be very tight, so that legislative intentions can correctplainmeaningto some extent.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Third, "plainmeaning" is an elastic term that can stretch to cover both sense and reference or shrink to cover just one of them.
From theCambridge English Corpus
What about when enactors' intentions and the normal,plainmeaningof the statutor y provisions' words do not seem to align, when they seem to signal different outcomes?
From theCambridge English Corpus
This mechanism is at work if there are cases in which an independent legislative intention does not exist but the directive has aplainmeaningand plain application.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Marmor is arguing about how statutes should be interpreted in hard cases, when it is unclear from the text andplainmeaninghow they apply.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Why should we be bored by these miserable word twistings of theplainmeaningof language?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Theplainmeaningis that in those competencies, which are very wide, there is a primacy over the laws of the member states.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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