means
/ (miːnz) /
(functioning as singular or plural) the medium, method, or instrument used to obtain a result or achieve an end: a means of communication
(functioning as plural) resources or income
(functioning as plural) considerable wealth or income: a man of means
by all means without hesitation or doubt; certainly: come with us by all means
by means of with the use or help of
by no manner of means definitely not: he was by no manner of means a cruel man
by no means or not by any means on no account; in no way: by no means come!
Words Nearby means
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use means in a sentence
As a means of preventing tooth decay in those cities that do fluoridate, the practice certainly looks like a success.
That would truly be a milestone to celebrate—until you see what that record “diversity” actually means.
And in order for them to realize their vision, they are willing to use any means.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWith that, there is no means to consistently measure progress.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War | Nancy A. Youssef | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTPart of the problem is the mandate of the war and the means with which the U.S. is fighting it do not match up.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War | Nancy A. Youssef | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
She skilfully manages the side-lights, and by this means produces strong effects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementThis is a feature by means of which it is always possible to distinguish the Great Horsetail from any other species.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinThe specific gravity is most conveniently estimated by means of the urinometer—Squibb's is preferable (Fig. 14).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThere is cause for alarm when they bring one hundred and ten ships into these seas without any means of resistance on our part.
“It means, my dear, that the Dragoons and the 60th will have to teach these impudent rebels a much-needed lesson,” said her uncle.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
Other Idioms and Phrases with means
see beyond one's means; by all means; by any means; by means of; by no means; end justifies the means.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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