the end justifies the means

idiom

used to say that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it
They believe that the end justifies the means and will do anything to get their candidate elected.

Examples of the end justifies the means in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
If a few girls die in the process of investigating her hypothesis, well, that’s a shame, but for Gretchen, the end justifies the means. Judy Berman, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024 Even if the end justifies the means, there’s something icky about the whole thing. Tanyel Mustafa, refinery29.com, 6 Sep. 2024

Dictionary Entries Near the end justifies the means

Cite this Entry

“The end justifies the means.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20end%20justifies%20the%20means. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!