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

Rapid fleet growth could require a lot of money upfront.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

There’s a lot Tom Nancy likes about his new life as a human boy: sandwiches, climbing trees, dessert after dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

She has a lot of relatives in the building trades and gets them access to an empty office, unfinished beyond its impressive lobby, where they‘re faking it ‘til they’re making it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Ancient Tree inventory lead at the Woodland Trust, May Chemais, said it was an "astonishing and bizarre" tree that had endured a lot.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Mvto. The acknowledgment means a lot, coming from you.”

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

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly