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definitions

ways and means

See more synonyms for ways and means on Thesaurus.com
plural noun
  1. legislation, methods, and means of raising revenue for the use of the government.
  2. methods and means of accomplishing or paying for something.

Origin of ways and means

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ways and means

means, wherewithal, ways

Examples from the Web for ways and means

Historical Examples of ways and means

  • I'm going to be chairman, speaker, program, and ways-and-means committee of this meeting.

  • She simply sat and looked at poor Kate like the chairman of a ways-and-means committee who is waiting to hear all the reports.

    The Lookout Man

    B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for ways and means

ways and means

pl n
  1. the revenues and methods of raising the revenues needed for the functioning of a state or other political unit
  2. (usually capital) a standing committee of the US House of Representatives that supervises all financial legislation
  3. the methods and resources for accomplishing some purpose
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