many

[ men-ee ]
See synonyms for: manymoremost on Thesaurus.com

adjective,more, most.
  1. constituting or forming a large number; numerous: many people.

  2. noting each one of a large number (usually followed by a or an): For many a day it rained.

noun
  1. a large or considerable number of persons or things: A good many of the beggars were blind.

  2. the many, the greater part of humankind.

pronoun
  1. many persons or things: Many of the beggars were blind. Many were unable to attend.

Origin of many

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English mani, meni,Old English manig, menig; akin to Old Saxon, Old High German manag, menig,Danish mange,Gothic manags

synonym study For many

1. Many, innumerable, manifold, numerous imply the presence or succession of a large number of units. Many is a popular and common word for this idea: many times. Numerous, a more formal word, refers to a great number or to very many units: letters too numerous to mention. Innumerable denotes a number that is beyond count or, more loosely, that is extremely difficult to count: the innumerable stars in the sky. Manifold implies not only that the number is large but also that there is variety or complexity.

Other words for many

Opposites for many

Other words from many

  • o·ver·man·y, adjective

Words Nearby many

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use many in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for many

many

/ (ˈmɛnɪ) /


determiner
  1. (sometimes preceded by a great or a good)

    • a large number of: many coaches; many times

    • (as pronoun; functioning as plural): many are seated already

  2. (foll by a, an, or another, and a singular noun) each of a considerable number of: many a man

  1. (preceded by as, too, that, etc)

    • a great number of: as many apples as you like; too many clouds to see

    • (as pronoun; functioning as plural): I have as many as you

noun
  1. the many the majority of mankind, esp the common people: the many are kept in ignorance while the few prosper Compare few (def. 7)

Origin of many

1
Old English manig; related to Old Frisian manich, Middle Dutch menech, Old High German manag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with many

many

In addition to the idioms beginning with many

  • many a
  • many hands make light work
  • many happy returns
  • many is the

also see:

  • as many
  • good (great) many
  • in so many words
  • irons in the fire, too many
  • so many
  • too many cooks spoil the broth

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.