accounting

means

means [noun] (MONEY)

money, for example from an income, that allows you to buy things

US /miːnz/ 
UK /miːnz/ 

ثروت، دارایی

مثال: 

He has the means to buy half the houses in the street if he wanted to.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

means

 noun (plural means)
a way of doing something; a way of going somewhere:
Do you have any means of transport (= a car, a bicycle etc.)?

by means of something by using something:
We crossed the river by means of a small bridge.

by no means not at all:
I am by no means certain that I can come.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

means

means S2 W2 /miːnz/ BrE AmE noun (plural means)
1. METHOD [countable] a way of doing or achieving something
means of
For most people, the car is still their main means of transport.
The only means of communication was sign language.
The window was our only means of escape.
Do you have any means of identification?
art as a means of expression
Homework should not be used as a means of controlling children.
I had no means of telling him I would be late.
Brian was prepared to use any means to get what he wanted.
They had entered the country by unlawful means.
the means by which performance is assessed
2. MONEY [plural] the money or income that you have
have the means to do something
I don’t have the means to support a family.
Paying for your children to go to a private school is beyond the means of most people (=too expensive for most people).
Try to live within your means (=only spending what you can afford).
His father was a man of means (=a rich man).
3. by all means! spoken used to mean ‘of course’ when politely allowing someone to do something or agreeing with a suggestion:
‘Can I bring Alan?’ ‘By all means!’
4. by no means/not by any means not at all:
It is by no means certain that the game will take place.
She’s not a bad kid, by any means.
5. by means of something formal using a particular method or system:
The blocks are raised by means of pulleys.
6. a means to an end something that you do only to achieve a result, not because you want to do it or because it is important:
For Geoff, the job was simply a means to an end.
7. the means of production the material, tools, and equipment that are used in the production of goods
ways and means at ↑way1(1)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
an effective/efficient means Speed bumps are an effective means of stopping cars from going too fast.
a useful means Local radio is a useful means of advertising.
the only means Then, horses and carts were the only means of transport available.
the best means Is this really the best means of achieving our goal?
an important means Surveys are an important means of gathering information.
lawful/legal means Their protests will continue, but only by legal means.
unlawful/illegal means He was accused of attempting to overthrow the government using unlawful means.
unfair means Anyone trying to use unfair means in an examination will be reported to the University.
■ phrases
a means of transport British English, a means of transportation American English (=a way of travelling, for example using a car, bus, bicycle etc) The tram is an efficient means of transport.
a means of communication (=a way of talking to someone, for example by phone, writing etc) Newspapers are still an important means of communication.
a means of expression (=a way of expressing your feelings or opinions) Music and art are important means of expression.
a means of identification (=an official document that shows who you are) Do you have any means of identification?
the means of production (=factories and equipment used for producing goods - used especially in Marxism) the class of people which owns the means of production
the end justifies the means (=the result you achieve is more important than the way you do it) It’s too bad if people get hurt - the end justifies the means.
a means to an end (=something you do only to achieve a result, not because you want to do it or because it is important) Many of the students saw the course as a means to an end: a way of getting a good job.
(whether) by fair means or foul (=using unfair methods if necessary) They were determined to achieve victory, by fair means or foul.
■ verbs
have no/any/some means of doing something There was no path, and they had no means of knowing where they were.
use any/every means to do something (=use any method or many methods) He will use any means to get what he wants.
• • •
THESAURUS
method a way of doing something, especially one that is well known and often used: You can choose whichever method of payment you prefer. | an environmentally friendly method for treating household waste
way a set of actions that you use in order to do something. Way is more informal than method and is used more often in everyday English: What’s the best way to remove wine stains? | a new way of treating the disease | There are lots of ways of cooking mushrooms.
means something that you use to do something or achieve something: Their main means of transport is their car. | E-mail is often the most convenient means of communication. | He looked around for a means of escape. | Education and training are the most efficient means of improving the nation’s economy.
approach a way of dealing with a particular problem or situation, especially a way that has been carefully thought about or planned: Today’s approach to raising children is very different from 40 years ago. | I think we need to try a different approach.
technique a particular way of doing something, for which you need a skill that has to be learned and practised: tips on how to improve your exam technique | More patients are surviving thanks to improved surgical techniques.
tactics methods that you use in order to achieve what you want, especially in a game or competition: There were complaints about police tactics used to clear demonstrators. | The team was discussing tactics for the game.
strategy a set of carefully planned methods for achieving something that is difficult and may take a long time: our sales strategy | a strategy to reduce the level of teenage smoking
mode formal a particular way of doing something: For him, painting is just another mode of expression. | You can choose between several different modes of operation. | the most efficient mode of transportation | Withdrawing a child from class is still the preferred mode of providing extra help to that child.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

means

means   [miːnz]    [miːnz]  noun (pl. means)
1. countable ~ (of sth/of doing sth) an action, an object or a system by which a result is achieved; a way of achieving or doing sth
Television is an effective means of communication.
Is there any means of contacting him?
Have you any means of identification?

• We needed to get to London but we had no means of transport.

2. plural the money that a person has
People should pay according to their means.
He doesn't have the means to support a wife and child.
Private school fees are beyond the means of most people (= more than they can afford).
Are the monthly repayments within your means (= can you afford them)?
Try to live within your means (= not spend more money than you have).
a man of means (= a rich man)
more at the end justifies the means at  end  n., by fair means or foul at  fair  adj., ways and means at  way  n.
Idioms: by all means  by means of something  by no means  means to an end  not by any means  
Word Origin:
late Middle English: plural of mean  (noun), the early sense being ‘intermediary’.  
Thesaurus:
means [means] noun C
TV is a highly effective means of communication.
methodwaysystemmechanismtechniqueprocess
a means/method/system/mechanism/technique/process for (doing) sth
a means/way/method/system/technique of (doing) sth
use a means/method/system/technique/process
devise/develop a means/method/way/system/technique/process 
Example Bank:
Eligibility for the benefit was determined by a means test.
Gold has been the preferred means of exchange for centuries.
He saw his education merely as a means to an end.
In the case of torture, the end can never justify the means.
Infringement of copyright includes distribution by electronic means.
My English teacher provided me with the means to enjoy reading poetry.
Oil lamps were the sole means of illumination.
Painting had become his primary means of self-expression.
Private school fees are beyond the means of most people.
She finds it difficult to live within her means.
She must have independent means to live in such style.
The stone was lifted by means of a rope and pulley.
There are ways and means of raising money.
They cannot achieve their goal through legal means.
War is famously ‘the continuation of policy by other means’.
We have no means of knowing how they will react.
We will use every possible means to achieve our objective.
a means of access/communication/transport
a means of getting what you want
an effective means of mass communication
people who lack visible means of support
the means for achieving happiness
Do you have any means of identification?
He did not have the means to support a family.
I don't believe that in this case the means justified the end.
People should pay according to their means.
TV is a highly effective means of communication.
The study aims to provide a means of testing the theory.
Try to live within your means.
We must look for an alternative means of escape.
We will use whatever means are necessary.
• What means of transport did they use?

• a man/woman of means

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

means / miːnz / noun ( plural means ) (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 must 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) .
 

means / miːnz / noun ( plural means ) (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

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

means

/mi:nz/

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
A means of doing something is a method, instrument, or process which can be used to do it. Means is both the singular and the plural form for this use.
The move is a means to fight crime...
The army had perfected the use of terror as a means of controlling the population...
Business managers are focused on increasing their personal wealth by any available means.
N-COUNT: with supp

2.
You can refer to the money that someone has as their means. (FORMAL)
...a person of means...
He did not have the means to compensate her.
N-PLURAL

3.
If someone is living beyond their means, they are spending more money than they can afford. If someone is living within their means, they are not spending more money than they can afford.
The more gifts she received, the more she craved, until he was living beyond his means...
PHRASE: v PHR, v-link PHR

4.
If you do something by means of a particular method, instrument, or process, you do it using that method, instrument, or process.
This is a two year course taught by means of lectures and seminars...
PREP-PHRASE

5.
You can say ‘by all means’ to tell someone that you are very willing to allow them to do something.
‘Can I come and have a look at your house?’—‘Yes by all means’.
CONVENTION [formulae]

6.
You use expressions such as ‘by no means’, ‘not by any means’, and ‘by no manner of means’ to emphasize that something is not true.
This is by no means out of the ordinary...
They were not finished, however, not by any means.
PHRASE: PHR with cl/group, PHR before v [emphasis]

7.
If you say that something is a means to an end, you mean that it helps you to achieve what you want, although it may not be enjoyable or important itself.
We seem to have lost sight of the fact that marketing is only a means to an end.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

means

means /ˈmiːnz/ noun, pl means
1 [count] : a way of doing something or of achieving a desired result
• trains, buses, and other means of transportation
• a means of communication/expression
• using fingerprints as a means of identification
• “What's the best means of getting there?” “Public transportation.”
• The property was obtained by illegal means.
• He vowed that he would succeed by any means necessary. [=by doing whatever was needed]
• He would use all/any manner of means to succeed.
• For her, marrying a rich man was just a means to an end. [=something done only to produce a desired result] All she really cared about was money.
• How can she survive when she has no visible means of support? [=she has no apparent way to pay for the things that she needs to live]
- see also ways and means the end justifies the means at 1end
2 [plural] : the money that someone has : wealth
• He has the means to give you everything you want.
• His means are enough to pay for college.
• a man/woman of means [=a wealthy man/woman]
• She is a woman of independent means. [=she has enough money to support herself without help from others]
• He enjoys a style of living that is beyond the means of all but the wealthiest people. [=that only the wealthiest people can afford]
• She was living beyond her means. [=she was spending more money than she could afford to spend]
• He began to save money when he finally learned to live within his means. [=to spend money only on what he could afford]
by all means : of course : certainly
• “May I come in?” “By all means!”
By all means feel free to get a second opinion.
by means of : through the use of (something)
• He got out of trouble by means of a clever trick.
by no means or not by any means also not by any manner of means : in no way : not at all
• It's by no means certain that he'll come. = It's not by any means certain that he'll come.
• This is by no means the first time we have had this problem.
• I was not happy about the arrangements by any means, but I agreed to do it.
• This issue has not been resolved yet by any manner of means.

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