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.
In the ancient world, plagiarism was viewed quite negatively: The word “plagiarism” actually means “kidnapper” in Latin, and the Roman poet Horace described literary theft like a crow making itself beautiful with stolen feathers.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
But agent work begets human work: Onboarding customers at a faster clip means needing to respond to more customer requests, for example.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
"Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable," one told him, according to Japan Today.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
That hidden population means these ancient galaxies may have been significantly more massive than earlier estimates indicated.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
“It sounded like a car that wouldn’t start. Probably means the road is over that way.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
