a means to an end

noun phrase

: something done only to produce a desired result
Computers have always been a means to an end for [George] Lucas: telling stories.David A. Kaplan

Examples of a means to an end in a Sentence

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The End of the Affair does not present an optimistic picture of human love: Eros is a means to an end—a fatalistic step on the ladder toward agape. Terry Nguyen july 23, Literary Hub, 23 July 2025 Instead, the siblings were in dentistry, and the enterprise was fashioned as a means to an end during a difficult family crisis. Roxanne Robinson, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025 And not just funny as a means to an end, but funny as an end unto itself. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 3 July 2025 Katie: So for me, content comedy writing, it's always been a means to an end. Outside Online, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for a means to an end

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“A means to an end.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20means%20to%20an%20end. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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