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.
This means that investors are exposed to downside in Alphabet stock while participating in the upside subject to the conversion premium.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
The study builds on earlier research that ruled out glaciers as the primary means of transporting the stone.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Local 11’s SoFi Stadium workers overwhelmingly voted late last week to authorize a strike, which means a work stoppage could have started anytime.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
This means the closed-end fund manager’s portfolio decisions can be made independently of day-to-day buying and selling action for the fund’s shares.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
“But that means you gotta mind your backside.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
