Definition

Noun 1. The method, instrument, or process used to achieve a particular end or result. It refers to the way something is done or accomplished. 2. Financial resources; wealth or income. It refers to the money and assets a person or organization possesses.

Usage and Examples

• As a method or instrument:
  • The bicycle is his primary means of transportation to work.
  • Email is an efficient means of communication.
  • She used every possible means to solve the difficult puzzle.
• As financial resources:
  • He is a man of considerable means and can afford to travel frequently.
  • The project cannot proceed without the necessary means to fund it.
  • They live within their means, avoiding unnecessary debt.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• The word "means" is typically used with a singular verb when referring to a ("A good education is a means to success.") and with a plural verb when referring to ("His means are sufficient.").
• "By means of": This is a common prepositional phrase meaning "by using."
  • She opened the door by means of a special key.
• "A means to an end": This idiom describes something that is not important or desirable in itself but is useful for achieving a goal.
  • For him, the tedious job was just a means to an end; he needed the money for university.

Variants and Related Words

• Mean (verb): To intend to convey or refer to; to signify.
  • What does this word mean?
• Mean (adjective): Unkind, cruel, or stingy.
  • That was a mean thing to say.
• Means-test (noun): An inquiry into a person's financial resources to determine eligibility for assistance.
• Means of production (noun phrase): The facilities and resources for producing goods.

Synonyms

• For method: method, way, manner, mode, process, instrument, agency, vehicle.
• For resources: resources, wealth, capital, funds, finances, assets, wherewithal.

Idioms and Phrases

• By all means: Certainly; without fail (used to give permission or strong encouragement).
  • "May I join you?" – "By all means!"
• By no means / Not by any means: Not at all; certainly not.
  • The task is by no means easy.
• Live beyond one's means: To spend more money than one earns or possesses.
  • They got into debt by living beyond their means.
• The end justifies the means: A phrase suggesting that a desired result is so important that any method, even a morally bad one, is acceptable to achieve it.

Noun

1. considerable capital (wealth or income)
   • he is a man of means
2. an instrumentality for accomplishing some end
3. how a result is obtained or an end is achieved
   • a means of control
   • an example is the best agency of instruction
   • the true way to success