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

"They have a lot of room to grow and have the potential to deliver better performance than anything that's come before them," Mercier said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

“There’s a lot of debris that comes down, and we work with our recovery forces in order to ensure that it doesn’t hit them. But of course we don’t want it to hit anyone else.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Suddenly Zac, who bought a suit and phone, seemed to be making a lot of money.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

"Every year they carry out temporary repairs and I do appreciate they are spending a lot of money but it gets worse and worse," Byatt said.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

“I guess I have a lot to cry about.”

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly