Synonyms of means

means 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of mean

1

as in signifies

to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind

the national anthem means various things to various people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• signifies
• implies
• denotes
• indicates
• suggests
• intends
• spells
• expresses
• explains
• represents
• imports
• infers
• symbolizes
• connotes
• symbols
• specifies
• mentions
• hints
• amounts (to)
• announces
• embodies
• refers (to)
• points (to)
• signals
• intimates
• adds up (to)
• alludes (to)
• proclaims
• touches (on or upon)
• personifies
• epitomizes
• cites
• instances
• designates
• insinuates
• declares
• elucidates
• adverts

2

as in matters

to be of importance

your presence at my graduation would mean a lot to me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• matters
• weighs
• signifies
• counts
• influences
• affects
• imports
• cuts ice
• carries weight
• concerns
• amounts (to)
• adds up (to)
• sways

3

as in intends

to have in mind as a purpose or goal

I mean to win this race

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intends
• plans
• contemplates
• hopes
• purposes
• goes
• aims
• looks
• proposes
• wishes
• tries
• purports
• allows
• calculates
• aspires
• designs
• considers
• figures on
• attempts
• meditates
• dreams
• strives
• accomplishes
• achieves
• struggles
• schemes
• debates
• plots
• ponders
• performs
• effects
• executes
• endeavors
• mulls (over)

4

as in indicates

to serve as a sign or symptom of

these colder nights mean autumn has truly arrived

Synonyms & Similar Words

• indicates
• signifies
• denotes
• points (to)
• tells (of)
• betokens
• bodes
• bespeaks
• presages
• foretells
• foreshows

means

2 of 2

noun

plural of mean

1

as in measure

an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result

won the competition by fair and honest means

Synonyms & Similar Words

• measure
• step
• move
• action
• effort
• shift
• attempt
• expedient
• resource
• doing
• procedure
• act
• process
• operation
• course
• initiative
• try
• dealing
• proceeding
• activity
• success
• feat
• while
• deed
• thing
• project
• accomplishment
• attainment
• work
• endeavor
• exploit
• achievement
• coup
• triumph
• proposal
• event
• pass
• undertaking
• enterprise
• trouble
• proposition
• go
• business
• exertion
• labor
• resort
• crack
• stab
• pains
• essay
• trial
• shot
• affair
• whack
• counterstep
• stopgap
• countermeasure
• fling
• makeshift
• countermove

2

as in instrumentality

something used to achieve an end

the ends don't justify the means

Synonyms & Similar Words

• instrumentality
• instrument
• agent
• vehicle
• mechanism
• factor
• tool
• power
• incentive
• agency
• machinery
• organ
• ministry
• influence
• medium
• reason
• ingredient
• cause
• impetus
• determinant
• weapon
• catalyst
• driver
• expedient
• stimulus
• generator
• inspiration
• trigger
• antecedent
• executor
• occasion
• activator
• instigation
• mover
• instigator
• launcher
• energizer
• animator
• subagency
• subagent

3

as in wealth

the total of one's money and property

a woman of considerable means

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wealth
• assets
• things
• money
• capital
• worth
• funds
• fortune
• riches
• substance
• possessions
• wherewithal
• effects
• resources
• success
• prosperity
• savings
• opulence
• holdings
• finances
• property
• belongings
• abundance
• wallet
• acquisition
• affluence
• chattels
• paraphernalia
• personal property
• treasure
• deep pockets
• bankroll
• personalty
• treasury
• accession
• reserve
• nest egg
• valuables

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liabilities
• debts
• indebtedness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of means

Verb

That means another week of relying on players like Andrew Armstrong and Cyrus Allen, with Xavier Worthy the WR1 by default. — Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026

It was born in 1930 and is today the most popular candy bar in the United States, which undoubtedly means the world. — Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026

That means that while the AP ranking doesn’t matter for CFP qualification, the Broncos will also likely top the CFP Committee’s rankings once released. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2026

That means knowing whose views the number captures, what’s behind them, and whether people will act on them. — Kari Butcher, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Being in Pax Silica means more technological partnerships, high-tech manufacturing jobs and a place in global AI supply chains. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

For Hinojosa, that means setting aside such concerns as transgender rights to focus on pocketbook issues. — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026

And writer Faran Krentcil digs through her dating and designer past to find out whether a partner’s dislike of your fashion sense means the relationship is doomed from the start. — InStyle, 24 Oct. 2026

Price optimization means choosing prices that advance business goals, such as increasing profits, attracting shoppers or clearing unsold goods. — Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026

Noun

Analysts attributed elevated gas prices to ongoing fighting in the Middle East, which has damaged oil infrastructure and forced firms to take up costly means of transporting crude. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Only Washington, North Carolina and Oregon tracked rejection rates with enough detail to distinguish ballots received in the mail from those received by some other means, like a ballot drop box. — Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026

What hair oil means for your routine The practical takeaway from stylists is that oils are not one product but a category with specific jobs. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

He had just been awarded the prestigious Alfred Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, which gave him the financial means and time to work on several projects and to announce himself and his work to a wider academic community. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

The fact that we’ve been highlighted and recognized means so much to me. — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2026

The world is struggling to figure out what the dawn of artificial intelligence means for society, culture and the economy. — Steve Liesman, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

The end of saving money and raising middle-class wages justifies the means, namely, the destruction of immigrant families. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

If buying chocolate means supporting a great cause, why not gift chocolate to everyone in your life this holiday season? — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing means

• by all means
• by means of
• by no means