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

“I just want the people that are doing this caught. It takes a lot out of you when they take something that you worked hard for.”

From Los Angeles Times

"It's about small steps, belief, bringing confidence back and trusting the players. At the moment we're in a good way but have a lot of things to do."

From BBC

"It was grim, it was hard, but I got a lot of love and family and friends to help me through it," he said.

From BBC

“The issue is that a lot of this is already baked in,” Fernandez said.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I've reached out to him but not managed to make contact yet, which is understandable. He's obviously got a lot on in his mind and I've been really busy," Fletcher said.

From BBC

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly