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

Yet block rewards decline with each halving, which means Bitcoin’s long-term economics increasingly depend on whether transaction activity can become a more meaningful source of revenue. — Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

This format means the home team — the Party Animals in Boise — will have the chance to walk off every single inning. — Idaho Statesman, 27 July 2026

Buying Morgan Rogers for a record transfer fee for a British player of £117m is just one of the factors that means all at Chelsea see better times ahead. — Simon Johnson, New York Times, 26 July 2026

But its $1,199 price point, up $100 from last year's phone, means the Z Flip 8 has to make up the difference. — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 26 July 2026

An average of 40 minutes means that some people were waiting considerably longer. — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2026

This home’s location, which is near the Farmington line, means that services and businesses in the Farmington and Unionville areas, as well as those in Avon and Canton, are just minutes away. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026

In South Korea, almost eighty per cent of children regularly attend a hagwon—a private-tutoring center that supplements their schooling and prepares them for tests—which means that many kids are spending up to twelve hours a day in a classroom. — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

This means everyday indoor air can expose children to higher concentrations of harmful substances than many parents realize. — Dr. Lauren Zajac, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026

Noun

Others worry that maintaining the boundary means ignoring the child’s emotions. — Jillian Pretzel, Parents, 25 July 2026

In doing so, advisors may be able to add real, lasting value, not just through standard methods like investment management, but also through more nuanced means like estate planning, business succession, and family governance. — Matthew Kayser july 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

The new evacuations were carried out by road, with boat shuttles provided for people who could not travel by their own means. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

His keenness and ability to be progressive in his passing means Bamba has the potential to be more than merely a midfield ‘destroyer’. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026

City officials describe the projects as not only a means of doubling the size of Sacramento’s downtown, but also connecting the central city to the River District to the north. — Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

This agency, crucial for both entrepreneurship and citizenship, requires judgment to choose ethical ends, especially as AI provides the means. — Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Selling puts means agreeing to buy an asset at a specified price before an agreed to expiration date. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 23 July 2026

Those with more modest means are falling further behind and, perhaps most alarmingly, finding fewer pathways to the economic mobility that has helped define the American dream. — Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Phrases Containing means

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