means

/miːnz/

name 2noun 1

Collocations

(noun.) method of doing sth

ADJ

appropriate, best, effective, efficient, reliable, useful

Walking is a reliable means of exercise for people who want to stay healthy.

necessary, possible, practicable

She tried every possible means to contact her friend before the wedding.

alternative, other

She learned to express her feelings through alternative means after losing her voice.

conventional, traditional | legal, legitimate

VERB + MEANS

have

She didn't have the means to travel abroad, so she took a local job instead.

use

offer (sb), provide (sb with)

The scholarship offered her the means to attend university and study medicine.

devise

The engineers had to devise a means to safely cross the wide river.

PREP

by ~ (of)

They communicated by means of email when they couldn't meet in person.

through ~

The company decided to reduce costs through different means rather than cutting jobs.

~ for

We need to find better means for solving this problem in our community.

~ of

The internet has become an important means of connecting with friends and family around the world.

PHRASES

a means to an end

For some people, getting a job is just a means to an end, not a career goal.

by fair means or foul, by no means/not by any means

ways and means

We found ways and means to fix the broken window without spending much money.

(noun.) money/wealth

ADJ

independent, private

His family had private means, so he never needed to worry about finding employment.

limited, moderate, modest, slender

visible

She had no visible means of earning money, so her family wondered how she paid her rent.

VERB + MEANS

have | lack

MEANS + NOUN

test

The bank used a means test to decide if the family qualified for the loan.

PREP

according to your ~

beyond your ~

A luxury vacation to Europe was beyond their means, so they chose a beach trip instead.

within your ~

PHRASES

a man/woman of means

Definitions

noun

An instrument or condition to achieve a result.

She treated him as a means to an end.

A car is a means of transport.

name

A surname.

An unincorporated community in Menifee County, Kentucky, United States.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or

noun — considerable capital (wealth or income)

substance

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

by no means

Certainly not; definitely not; not at all.

By no means am I suggesting that euthanasia should be outlawed, but rather that we should look at its inherent risks.

the end justifies the means

Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes; actions can be considered morally right or wrong only by virtue of the morality of the outcome.

Marxists were often criticized for believing that the ends justified the means, yet these old Cold Warriors were now the ones using ends to justify means—attacking science in the n

the ends justify the means

Alternative form of the end justifies the means.

not by any means

Not at all, not in the slightest

Though unusual in the Dublin area he knew that it was not by any means unknown for desperadoes who had next to nothing to live on to be abroad waylaying and generally terrorising p

by any means

Using whatever method or strategy is required; by all possible means.

by any means necessary

Example Bank

She treated him as a means to an end.

Wiktionary

A car is a means of transport.

Wiktionary

And by this means also he had them the more at vantage, being tired and harassed with a long march; and more at mercy, being cut off far from their country, and therefore not able by any sudden flight

Wiktionary

Being objective means not telling everybody whose side you are on.

Tatoeba · #1789

You must cut down on extra expenses in order to live within your means.

Tatoeba · #16039

You'll find yourself in deep water if you continue to live beyond your means.

Tatoeba · #16702

Usage Notes

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