4 PHRASE If you mention something and say that someone doesn't know the meaning of the word , you are emphasizing that they have never experienced the thing mentioned or do not have the quality mentioned. [EMPHASIS ] □ Don't mention failure when Kevin is around. He doesn't know the meaning of the word.
mean|ing|ful /miː n I ŋfʊl/
1 ADJ If you describe something as meaningful , you mean that it is serious, important, or useful in some way. □ She believes these talks will be the start of a constructive and meaningful dialogue. □ He asked people to tell him about a meaningful event or period in their lives.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] A meaningful look or gesture is one that is intended to express something, usually to a particular person, without anything being said. □ Upon the utterance of this word, Dan and Harry exchanged a quick, meaningful look. ● mean|ing|ful|ly ADV [usu ADV after v, oft ADV -ed] □ He glanced meaningfully at the other police officer, then he went up the stairs.
3 → see also meaningfully
mean|ing|ful|ly /miː n I ŋfʊli/
1 ADV [ADV after v] You use meaningfully to indicate that someone has deliberately chosen their words in order to express something in a way which is not obvious but which is understood by the person they are talking to. □ 'I have a knack for making friends, you know,' she added meaningfully.
2 → see also meaningful
mean|ing|less /miː n I ŋləs/
1 ADJ If something that someone says or writes is meaningless , it has no meaning, or appears to have no meaning. □ She is fascinated by algebra while he considers it meaningless nonsense.
2 ADJ Something that is meaningless in a particular situation is not important or relevant. □ Fines are meaningless to guys earning millions.
3 ADJ If something that you do is meaningless , it has no purpose and is not at all worthwhile. □ They seek strong sensations to dull their sense of a meaningless existence.
means ◆◆◇ /miː nz/
1 N‑COUNT [oft N to-inf] A means of doing something is a method, instrument, or process which can be used to do it. Means is both the singular and the plural form for this use. □ The move is a means to fight crime. □ [+ of ] The army had perfected the use of terror as a means of controlling the population. □ Business managers are focused on increasing their personal wealth by any available means.
2 N‑PLURAL [oft N to-inf] You can refer to the money that someone has as their means . [FORMAL ] □ …a person of means. □ He did not have the means to compensate her.
3 PHRASE If someone is living beyond their means , they are spending more money than they can afford. If someone is living within their means , they are not spending more money than they can afford. □ The more gifts she received, the more she craved, until he was living beyond his means.
4 PHRASE If you do something by means of a particular method, instrument, or process, you do it using that method, instrument, or process. □ This is a two year course taught by means of lectures and seminars.
5 CONVENTION You can say ' by all means ' to tell someone that you are very willing to allow them to do something. [FORMULAE ] □ 'Can I come and have a look at your house?'—'Yes by all means'.
6 PHRASE You use expressions such as ' by no means ', ' not by any means ', and ' by no manner of means ' to emphasize that something is not true. [EMPHASIS ] □ This is by no means out of the ordinary. □ They were not finished, however, not by any means.
7 PHRASE If you say that something is a means to an end , you mean that it helps you to achieve what you want, although it may not be enjoyable or important itself. □ We seem to have lost sight of the fact that marketing is only a means to an end. SYNONYMS means NOUN 1
method: …new teaching methods.
mechanism: There's no mechanism for punishing arms exporters who break the rules.
way: Freezing isn't a bad way of preserving food.
process: The best way to proceed is by a process of elimination.
mea ns test (means tests ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A means test is a test in which your income is calculated in order to decide whether you qualify for a grant or benefit from the state.
mea ns-tested ADJ A grant or benefit that is means-tested varies in amount depending on a means test. □ …means-tested benefits.
meant /me nt/
1 Meant is the past tense and past participle of mean .
2 ADJ You use meant to to say that something or someone was intended to be or do a particular thing, especially when they have failed to be or do it. □ I can't say any more, it's meant to be a big secret. □ I'm meant to be on holiday.
3 ADJ If something is meant for particular people or for a particular situation, it is intended for those people or for that situation. □ [+ for ] Fairy tales weren't just meant for children. □ [+ for ] The seeds were not meant for human consumption.
4 PHRASE If you say that something is meant to happen, you mean that it is expected to happen or that it ought to happen. □ Parties are meant to be fun.
5 PHRASE If you say that something is meant to have a particular quality or characteristic, you mean that it has a reputation for being like that. □ Beaujolais is meant to be a really good wine.
mean|time /miː nta I m/
1 PHRASE In the meantime or meantime means in the period of time between two events. □ Eventually your child will become an independent adult, but in the meantime she relies on your support. □ It now hopes to hold elections in February. Meantime, the state will continue to be run from Delhi.