variants
or in virtue of
as in by means of
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Recent Examples of by virtue of
The state, by virtue of the raid, seems to be siding with the California tribes, who have purview over almost all non-pari-mutuel gambling in the state and oppose the machines.
—
John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The restaurant has a head start by virtue of its intrinsic charm.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 20 Jan. 2026
On the series side of Netflix’s ledger, season two of Wednesday outdrew the end of Stranger Things in the second half of the year — mostly by virtue of having had a 16-week head start.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
The Iron Maiden scene was one of the more complicated pieces of The Bone Temple by virtue of all the various elements involved.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
Its popularity is improbable by virtue of its unapologetic intellectualism, increasingly alien in a highly anti-intellectual era.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Roberts concluded that candidates -- by virtue of running for office alone -- should have the ability to bring legal challenges over rules governing how campaigns are conducted and votes are cast and counted.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
In a group of scruffy hippies, Weir was a bit of a misfit—ironically, by virtue of being normal.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
Brands, by virtue of their ubiquity, have become some of the most powerful of these frameworks.
—Debbie Millman, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The restaurant has a head start by virtue of its intrinsic charm.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 20 Jan. 2026
On the series side of Netflix’s ledger, season two of Wednesday outdrew the end of Stranger Things in the second half of the year — mostly by virtue of having had a 16-week head start.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
The Iron Maiden scene was one of the more complicated pieces of The Bone Temple by virtue of all the various elements involved.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Jan. 2026
Its popularity is improbable by virtue of its unapologetic intellectualism, increasingly alien in a highly anti-intellectual era.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Roberts concluded that candidates -- by virtue of running for office alone -- should have the ability to bring legal challenges over rules governing how campaigns are conducted and votes are cast and counted.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026
In a group of scruffy hippies, Weir was a bit of a misfit—ironically, by virtue of being normal.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026
Brands, by virtue of their ubiquity, have become some of the most powerful of these frameworks.
—Debbie Millman, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“By virtue of.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/by%20virtue%20of. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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