much
Americanadjective
noun
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a great quantity, measure, or degree.
Much of his research was unreliable.
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a great, important, or notable thing or matter.
The house is not much to look at.
adverb
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to a great extent or degree; greatly; far.
to talk too much; much heavier.
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nearly, approximately, or about.
This is much like the others.
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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
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not so much, not.
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much as,
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almost the same as.
We need exercise, much as we need nourishment.
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however much.
Much as she wanted to stay at the party, she had to leave.
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too much,
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His band is too much, especially live in concert.
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overwhelming or intolerable.
His memories of the life they had together were just too much.
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She's too much—but so hilarious!
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make much of,
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to treat, represent, or consider as of great importance.
to make much of trivial matters.
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to treat with great consideration; show fondness for; flatter.
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determiner
-
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(usually used with a negative) a great quantity or degree of
there isn't much honey left
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( as pronoun )
much has been learned from this
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informal rather excessive
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exactly that
I suspected as much when I heard
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See make of
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not to any appreciable degree or extent
he's not much of an actor really
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informal of a low standard
this beer is not up to much
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(used with a negative) to have a high opinion of
I don't think much of his behaviour
adverb
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considerably
they're much better now
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practically; nearly (esp in the phrase much the same )
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(usually used with a negative) often; a great deal
it doesn't happen much in this country
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even though; although
much as I'd like to, I can't come
adjective
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”
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Brasher and Cruz kept the pressure on during the second match, pulling ahead early 8-6 and leading by as much as 17-12 before closing out the victory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
His long-time rival Lionel Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or accolade a record eight times, recently also said he was unsure how much longer he would continue playing football.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Studies have found that hospitals invest much of the subsidy money in financial assets and expanding their footprints and bureaucracy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In animated renditions streaming on HBO Max, the Green Lantern fares much better.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Abigail knew he was going to keep coming back—he had said as much.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Inflation-fatigued consumers are watching their food dollars and eating more at home, while restaurants strain under rising costs, particularly for beef.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
For decades, Baltimore owed the intractability of its vacant housing crisis to simple economics: It cost more to rehab a vacant home than that renovated home could be sold for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
They got two more in the ninth after a second bases-loaded error by Edman came when he failed to field a choppy ground ball from David Hamilton, allowing Chourio and Lara to score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"It's worth it for the banks, because they then have a captive audience, who are more likely to take other products from them."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
American officers assure Father Monaghan and others that they are more than ready to deal with Japan.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
That process has been most successful in neighborhoods that already have anchor assets to support demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Imported guns – most of them - are very expensive.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
In 1981, the Yankees reached the World Series, once again facing the Dodgers — and John was at the center of the most controversial decision in the series that ultimately sealed New York’s fate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
So it’s entirely understandable if most of us aren’t into the labor aspect of the Lanterns’ audition process.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Okay,” Nate says, “but that’s also the one that will be the most difficult, designwise.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
