1
general::
Through the use of, owing to, as in We plan to pay for medical school by means of a second mortgage, or He'll succeed by means of sheer persistence. [Early 1400s] Also see BY DINT OF.
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): by means of something
using something; with the use of something. • I opened the bottle by means of a bottle opener. • I was able to afford a car by means of a loan.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs