much

American  

[muhch] / mʌtʃ /

adjective

more, most

1. great in quantity, measure, or degree.

   too much cake.

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noun

1. a great quantity, measure, or degree.

   Much of his research was unreliable.

2. a great, important, or notable thing or matter.

   The house is not much to look at.

adverb

more, most

1. to a great extent or degree; greatly; far.

   to talk too much; much heavier.

2. nearly, approximately, or about.

   This is much like the others.

3. Slang. (used after an adjective, noun, or verb to form a question that comments on someone’s intense feelings or extreme actions in a way that is critical, sarcastic, teasing, etc.): Geeking out much?

   Jealous much?

   Geeking out much?

idioms

1. not so much, not.

2. much as,

   1. almost the same as.

      We need exercise, much as we need nourishment.

   2. however much.

      Much as she wanted to stay at the party, she had to leave.

3. too much,

   1. excellent; great.

      His band is too much, especially live in concert.

   2. overwhelming or intolerable.

      His memories of the life they had together were just too much.

   3. outrageous; extreme.

      She's too much—but so hilarious!

4. make much of,

   1. to treat, represent, or consider as of great importance.

      to make much of trivial matters.

   2. to treat with great consideration; show fondness for; flatter.

much British  

/ mʌtʃ /

determiner

1. 1. (usually used with a negative) a great quantity or degree of

      there isn't much honey left

   2. ( as pronoun )

      much has been learned from this

2. informal rather excessive

3. exactly that

   I suspected as much when I heard

4. See make of

5. not to any appreciable degree or extent

   he's not much of an actor really

6. informal of a low standard

   this beer is not up to much

7. (used with a negative) to have a high opinion of

   I don't think much of his behaviour

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adverb

1. considerably

   they're much better now

2. practically; nearly (esp in the phrase much the same )

3. (usually used with a negative) often; a great deal

   it doesn't happen much in this country

4. even though; although

   much as I'd like to, I can't come

adjective

1. (predicative; usually used with a negative) impressive or important

   this car isn't much

much More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing much

• (much) sought after
• as much
• as much as
• make much of
• not miss a trick (much)
• not think much of
• pretty much
• so much
• so much for
• so much the better
• take it (just so much)
• take on (too much)
• too much of a good thing
• without so much as

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Etymology

Origin of much

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English muche, moche, shortened variant of muchel, mochel, Old English mycel; replacing Middle English miche(l), Old English micel “great, much” ( cf. mickle), cognate with Old Norse mikill, Gothic mikils, Greek mégal-, expanded stem of mégas “great”

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Explanation

Use the adjective much to mean "a lot" or "a large amount." If you don't get much sleep the night before a big test, you don't get a lot. If you get too much sleep, you may sleep through your alarm and miss the test. Much is used as an adjective or adverb, but it always means a large quantity, extent, or degree. When something hurts very much, it's very painful, and when your friend says your gift is very much appreciated, she's emphasizing how happy it made her. The Middle English version of this word was muchel, "large," from the Old English micel, "great in amount or extent."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

much more most

Super catch-up contributions made between 60 and 63 could be worth as much as $501,000 by age 80, Taylor said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

The systems have since been brought back under control, though much remains unclear about the attacks, including who was responsible.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Instead, they highlight how much remains unknown about a treatment that has gained considerable attention despite limited high-quality evidence.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Ask your adviser to show you the numbers: how much you would save by converting strategically over the next five years or so.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

He still doesn’t talk much, but there’s an ease, a calm about him.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

“The people who use this window intentionally often have far more flexibility later, while those who ignore it may spend retirement reacting to choices they can no longer change.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Clay Rikard, senior vice president of system planning at Southern, said the company has a more than 99% voluntary-agreement rate with landowners and rarely resorts to condemnation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Democrats aren’t necessarily viewed more positively than Republicans right now, but Nabulsi believes they’re at least signaling an open line of communication with a message she interprets as “We are not here with hate.”

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

While there have been calls for Martinez to be dropped for the Roma game, Carrick was more philosophical.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

The final number is estimated at more than two hundred thousand.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Katie: I predict that, like most trends in advertising, advertisers will inevitably overdo it on the stop-motion, a brand will get caught faking it with AI and the trend will die off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Collins, who is seeking her sixth term, entered the midterm cycle as one of the most vulnerable incumbent Republicans seeking re-election.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Instead, it was left to the Instagram account of his cat Maximus, reportedly the second most popular political account on Belgian social media after De Wever's, to opine that "there are days like that".

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Your situation is probably also quite different from most retirees in their 80s.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

I was unsophisticated and tried to use nosiness only when it counted the most.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Related Words

• a great deal
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• regularly
• very

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