a means to an end
a way of achieving what you want

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

end the part of a place or object that is furthest from the centre or the beginning:
the end of the table
the end of the street
tip the end of something, especially something pointed:
the tip of your nose
an arrow tip
point the sharp end of something:
The point of the pencil broke.
the opposite/other end (of something)
Jon and his girlfriend were sitting at the opposite end of the bar.
the far end (of something) (=furthest from you)
He walked to the far end of the room and sat at his desk.
deep/shallow end (=used about the ends of a swimming pool where the water is deepest or least deep)
The kids were splashing about in the shallow end.
lay/place something end to end (=in a line, with the ends touching)
The roof tiles are laid end to end.
political/military financial etc ends
The government exploited the situation for political ends.
achieve your own ends (=to get what you want, used to show disapproval)
Some people would do almost anything to achieve their own ends.
to that end (=with that aim or purpose)
Our first priority is safety, and the airline is working to that end.
an end in itself (=the thing that you want to achieve)
The programme is not an end in itself, but rather the first step the prisoner takes towards a new life.
the end justifies the means (=used to say that something bad is acceptable, if it achieves a good result)
Their defence, that the end justifies the means, is not acceptable.
a means to an end (=a way of achieving what you want)
To Joe, work was a means to an end, nothing more.
with this end in view (=with this thing in mind as an aim)
We need to reduce costs, so with this end in view, the company is switching supplier.
finish to end - use this about an organized event such as a meeting, party, or lesson, especially when saying what time it ends:
The meeting will finish at 5.30.
What time does your Spanish class finish?
be over if an event, activity, or period of time is over, it has ended:
I can’t wait for our exams to be over.
The long summer vacation was almost over.
come to an end to finally end – used about a period of time, a situation, or an activity that has continued for a long time:
The war finally came to an end six years later.
draw to an end/to a close written to end gradually over a period of time – used in written descriptions:
These problems still remained as the twentieth century drew to an end.
time is up if time is up, you are not allowed any more time to do something:
I wasn’t able to finish the test before the time was up.
time runs out if time runs out, there is no more time available to do something, especially something important:
The desperate search for survivors continues, but time is running out.
expire formal if a ticket, bank card, legal document etc expires, the period of time during which you can use it has ended:
I’m afraid we can’t accept this credit card – it expired last week.
be at an end if something is at an end, it has ended:
We both knew that our marriage was at an end.
The long wait was at an end.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

means to an end
something done to achieve something else.
You may get tired of regular physical exercise, but it's simply a means to an end.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

means to an end
n. phr. An action leading to some end or purpose.
Money for him was just a means to an end; actually he wanted power.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲