means

/ miːnz /

noun

1. functioning as singular or plural the medium, method, or instrument used to obtain a result or achieve an end

   a means of communication

2. functioning as plural resources or income
3. functioning as plural considerable wealth or income

   a man of means

4. by all means
   without hesitation or doubt; certainly

   come with us by all means

5. by means of
   with the use or help of
6. by no manner of means
   definitely not

   he was by no manner of means a cruel man

7. by no means or not by any means
   on no account; in no way

   by no means come!

Idioms and Phrases

see beyond one's means ; by all means ; by any means ; by means of ; by no means ; end justifies the means .

Example Sentences

In a 2021 essay, she cited Trump’s “intensive efforts to chip away at the apolitical nature of the American military” as a means of using the armed forces to help him try to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.

From Los Angeles Times

“However, the long-term impacts of clinic closures on the abortion access ecosystem, means that despite the win of the Missouri ballot measure, it will be years before Missouri is able to offer abortion care at the scale that Missourans need.”

From Salon

“And that means many people will still be forced to travel to places like DC for abortion care.”

From Salon

It means replicating a test, over and over, to prove that the results weren’t an accident.

From Slate

It means changing the parameters of that test one variable at a time, trying to get from correlation to causation.

From Slate

Related Words

• aid
• channel
• equipment
• factor
• instrument
• measure
• mechanism
• medium
• mode
• power
• process
• route
• step
• system
• tactic
• technique
• vehicle