By no means means not at all, certainly not: the first draft is by no means complete. It sounds firmer and more formal than not at all and works well in essays. At the start of a sentence, it flips the word order: by no means should you assume...
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be by no means + adjective / by no means + verb; By no means + auxiliary + subject
- The first draft is useful, but it is by no means complete.
- A larger audience by no means guarantees a better discussion.
- By no means should you assume that every guest knows the route.
What changed
First versionThe repair is by no mean straightforward.
RevisionThe repair is by no means straightforward.
Means looks like the plural of mean, so the s seems removable. But means here is a separate noun, meaning a way or method, and it always ends in s: by no means.
By all means means of course, please do: Can I sit here? By all means. One word turns a firm no into a warm yes. Not necessarily is softer: the conclusion doesn't follow, but it isn't rejected either.
Your turn
Emphasize that the result is not certain: It is by no ___ guaranteed.
Show the answer
means — The phrase is fixed: by no means, with s at the end. By no mean isn't used.
Push back on an overly optimistic view of a project, and name what isn't ready yet. Use be by no means.
The plan is by no means final; we still need to agree on the delivery dates.
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