- [countable] a particular way of doing something
- Which method is the most effective?
- traditional/alternative methods
- method of something a scientific method of data analysis
- method of doing something a reliable method of measuring blood pressure
- method for (doing) something the best method for arriving at an accurate prediction of the costs
- method to do something Developing new methods to keep insects out of food packages is critical.
- to use/employ/apply a method
- to devise/propose/adopt a method
- He's quite critical of modern teaching methods.
Extra ExamplesTopics Scientific researcha2- This is the best method of settling such arguments.
- This is a simpler method for making bread.
- Farmers are seeking less toxic methods of pest control.
- Scientists have developed two new methods of detecting the chemical.
- Various methods were used in these studies.
- We can apply these methods to a wide range of problems.
- This method involves cutting a very thin slice from the object.
- This illustrates how experimental methods can be used to explore these issues.
- a range of contraceptive methods
- Methods were described for growing this vegetable in 200 BC.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- accurate
- effective
- efficient
- …
- adopt
- apply
- employ
- …
- involve something
- work
- employ something
- …
- method for
- method of
Take your English to the next level
The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app
- [uncountable] the quality of being well planned and organized
- There's very little method in his approach.
- We have to apply some method to this investigation.
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘prescribed medical treatment for a disease’): via Latin from Greek methodos ‘pursuit of knowledge’, from meta- (expressing development) + hodos ‘way’.
Idioms
See method in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee method in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthere’s (a) method in somebody’s madness
- there is a reason for somebody’s behaviour and it is not as strange or as stupid as it seems
Check pronunciation:
method