a lot

American  

[uh lot] / ə ˈlɒt /

noun

1. lot.

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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]

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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

“He has a lot of different aliases and personas. He’s a very funny and relatable person and I think that comes through with him as a host.”

From Los Angeles Times

Even the way that she reacts to her misfortune — and a lot of it is self-inflicted — feels like a past version of me, or a low-vibrational version of me.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’ve seen a lot of rain that would have been snow if we had cooler temperatures.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Unfortunately,” Taylor noted, “that really led to a lot of rattlesnake encounters of the negative kind.”

From Los Angeles Times

These topics draw a lot of attention for another reason — they’re highly controversial.

From Salon

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly