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means

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noun British English pronunciation: means /miːnz/ 
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singularmeans
pluralmeans
  1. 1
    [countable] a method for doing or achieving something

    Information is not easily obtained by any other means.

    an effective means for finding qualified job applicants

    means of:

    What means of transport is she using?

    no means of doing something:

    We had no means of warning them.

    the means by which:

    Testing is still the usual means by which students’ progress is measured.

  2. 2
    [plural] formal the amount of money or the property, income etc that someone has
    have the means (to do something):

    Small businesses don’t have the means to develop a sophisticated Internet presence.

    beyond/within your means (=too expensive or not too expensive for you):

    Many medical charges are beyond the means of poorer families.

    according to someone’s means:

    You are invited to contribute according to your means.

    a man/woman of means (=with a lot of money):

    He had the well-dressed appearance of a man of means.

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