Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

by no means

/baɪ noʊ ˈminz/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.37 in modern English

Syllables: by no means
IPA: /baɪ noʊ ˈminz/

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Certainly not; definitely not; not at all.

Example Sentences

"By no means am I suggesting that euthanasia should be outlawed, but rather that we should look at its inherent risks."
"Is that all you’ve got to say? ―By no means. Let me explain further."
"For the Maine Garden, I doe not Deny, but there ſhould be ſome Faire Alleys, ranged on both Sides, vvith Fruit Trees; And ſome Pretty Tufts of Fruit Trees, And Arbours vvith Seats, ſet in ſome Decent Order; but theſe to be, by no Meanes, ſet too thicke; […]"
"I was last night at the Funeral, where a confident lover in the play, speaking of his mistress, cries out—"Oh that Harriot! to fold these arms about the waist of that beauteous, struggling, and at last yielding fair!" Such an image as this ought by no means to be presented to a chaste and regular audience."
"Cecilia, thanking him for the offer, ſaid ſhe meant novv to make her acknovvledgments for all the trouble he had already taken, but by no means purpoſed to give him any more."
"It is by no means as the greatest of poets that Goethe deserves the pride and praise of his German countrymen. It is as the clearest, the largest, the most helpful thinker of modern times."

Etymology

From by + no + means (“condition or instrument to achieve a result”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /baɪ noʊ ˈminz/
British English: /baɪ nəʊ ˈmiːnz/

Synonyms

by no manner of means by no stretch by no stretch of the imagination in no way never ever never in a million years not a chance not by any manner of means not by any means not by a long way not in a million years not in the least

Antonyms

by all means by any means

Rhymes With

means teens beans jeans magazines queens marines greens spill the beans submarines leans keynes

Questions

How do you pronounce by no means?: The recorded pronunciation is /baɪ noʊ ˈminz/.
What does by no means mean?: Certainly not; definitely not; not at all.
Where does by no means come from?: From by + no + means (“condition or instrument to achieve a result”).

How to pronounce by no means

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “by no means”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/baɪ noʊ ˈminz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “by no means”.
Repeat and practice — Say “by no means” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.