meansnoun
uk/miːnz/us/miːnz/plural meansmeans noun (METHOD)
B2 [ C ] a method or way of doing something:
They had no means of communication.
We need to find some other means of transportation.
We need to use every means at our disposal.
She tried to explain by means of sign language.
There is no means of tracing the debt at all.
The family had no means of support (= way of getting money).
More examples
- Television is an increasingly important means of communication.
- Exams are not the only means of assessing a student's ability.
- Well, we'll just have to find some other means of persuading her.
- There must be some means by which wealth can be distributed more equitably.
- Another means of preventing further flooding would be to deepen the river bed.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Ways of achieving things
- a means to an end idiom
- actively
- another
- approach
- avenue
- basis
- fair
- jump
- mean
- medium
- mixed media
- modality
- modus operandi
- one way or another idiom
- one-handed
- resort
- vein
- what's the drill for sth? idiom
- whereby
- workings
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means noun (MONEY)
C2 [ plural ] money, for example from an income, that allows you to buy things:
[ + to infinitive ] He has the means to buy half the houses in the street if he wanted to.
live beyond your means
to spend more money than you receive as income
live within your means
to spend less money than you receive as income
a man/woman of means
a rich man/woman
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Accounting
- accountancy
- accountant
- accounting
- accounts
- annualized
- arrears
- auditor
- balance
- bill
- budget
- capital
- capital gains
- costing
- double entry bookkeeping
- false accounting
- fraudulent accounting
- FRS
- GAAP
- housekeeping
- loss
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Earning money
Amounts of money
Budgeting money
Paying money
Rich people
Idiom(s)
by all means
by no means
a means to an end