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

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

This defense needs to find a way to make quarterbacks uncomfortable without becoming blitz crazy, and that means Chop Robinson, Josh Uche and Malik Herring must step up and win more of their 1-on-1 assignments. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026

For some homeowners, that means raking or blowing leaves and putting them into composting bags or on the side of the road to be hauled off to municipal compost centers. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

There was nothing pretty about it, but the Chiefs’ 22-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday means Kansas City is 5-0 for the sixth time in franchise history. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026

That means the opportunity presented by this tax credit comes with a responsibility. — Raymond C. Pierce, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

With an $882 million budget deficit looming, residents deserve to know whether success means safer streets or more money collected. — Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

International funding, Patil says, means long waits, complicated contracts and co-production treaties, and Indian filmmakers end up chasing the same grants as professionals from wealthier countries. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

The look is solid, smart, elegant, hitting a summer sweet spot that means guests come back again and again. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 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