a lot

American  

[uh lot] / ə ˈlɒt /

noun

1. lot.

---

adverb

1. lot.

a lot Idioms  

1. Very many, a large number; also, very much. For example, A lot of people think the economy is declining, or Sad movies always made her cry a lot. It is sometimes put as a whole lot for greater emphasis, as in I learned a whole lot in his class. It may also emphasize a comparative indication of amount, as in We need a whole lot more pizza to feed everyone, or Mary had a lot less nerve than I expected. [Colloquial; early 1800s]

---

Spelling

As a noun and adverb, a lot is frequently misspelled as alot.

Etymology

Origin of a lot

First recorded in 1820–30

Compare meaning

How does a-lot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• allot vs. a lot

Example Sentences

“You had a lot of dealerships in the Covid era that were overcharging, to say the least,” said Eric Frehsée, president of the Tamaroff Group in the Detroit area.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Well, if you let your paranoia run wild, quite a lot.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

"I hate to say I'm honored by that, but I've done a lot," Trump added.

From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026

"We use voice notes probably 10 to 20 times a week - we send a lot of voice notes," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

Over the next few days, mostly from things Mrs. Tracy said when Jessica Feeney wasn’t there, a lot of the time, I picked up more stuff about her.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly