From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishby virtue of somethingby virtue of somethingformal by means of, or as a result of something She became a British resident by virtue of her marriage. → virtue
Examples from the Corpus
by virtue of something• I am Claire's aunt by virtue of marriage.• Madeira was transformed into an offshore centre by virtue of legislation enacted in 1986.• But is it true that we learn just by virtue of being busy and having lots of experiences?• Catholicism, however gripped the masses by virtue of its incense, its ritual, all quite arbitrary, compulsion without purpose.• Prominent individuals were often prominent by virtue of the groups of which they were leaders.• And never once did I find myself the center of collective stares, simply by virtue of being a gaijin. 