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

See Examples For:

a lot

"This moment means a lot to me," says the weightlifter, who won European bronze for Great Britain earlier this year.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

“The whole industry learned a lot of lessons from how that dynamic played out,” said Sarah Sachs, head of AI at Notion, who attended the event.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

“That’s a lot of copper, steel, aluminum, and lithium.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"It did result in a lot of tears and a lot of self-doubt at the beginning and I think that's completely normal and it's part of the process."

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Tuscarora rez was small, according to a lot of people.

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

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly