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.
‘My Government Means to Kill Me,’ a hard-edged, cameo-filled novel of AIDS-riddled 1980s New York, has been ‘bubblng’ in Newson’s head for years.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
Its listing, which was held by Kaelin Hall of William Means Real Estate, described the property as a “striking custom residence” that offers “a rare sense of privacy paired with a refined, design-forward aesthetic.”
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Means first came to the Trump campaign’s attention as the co-author of the book “Good Energy.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
“I felt that it was extremely inappropriate,” Means said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
The Ways and Means Committee rejected him, too.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
