means
Britishnoun
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(functioning as singular or plural) the medium, method, or instrument used to obtain a result or achieve an end
a means of communication
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(functioning as plural) resources or income
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(functioning as plural) considerable wealth or income
a man of means
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without hesitation or doubt; certainly
come with us by all means
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with the use or help of
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definitely not
he was by no manner of means a cruel man
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on no account; in no way
by no means come!
Explanation
Someone who has wealth beyond the average person is said to be a person of means. Means can also mean the way something happens. You should try to resolve your fight with your brother through peaceful means––noogies are so undignified. The expression "the end justifies the means" is an example of this usage — basically, you are saying that even if the method used to get the result was bad, the result was good enough to make it okay. The tools needed to do something can also be called the means. You don't have the means to make an art project if you need paint and feathers and you have neither.
Vocabulary lists containing means
Haiti Earthquake One-Year Report
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Unit 7, Words to Know
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That means it takes a long time for Joshua tree populations to shift to cooler, higher-elevation areas.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
A higher unemployment rate means more people are out of work and looking for work, while a fall in the number of job vacancies means there are fewer jobs to compete for.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
And it means that Stephen Colbert, one of the nation’s best vehicles for satirical critique, will no longer be on the air to make sense of the madness of the moment.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
But here, while Gallrein appears the favorite, the race is tight, and Massie is by no means out of it.
From Slate • May 19, 2026
“Which means that the stranger is probably a caribou.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
