a lot

American

[uh lot] / ə ˈlɒt /

noun

lot.

adverb

lot.

a lot Idioms

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]

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"We don't have this level of resolution in other animals, but we know that they have a lot of these local circuits."

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

“You’re always going to have early adopters, but there’s a lot more customers to go around in the $45,000 to $55,000 range.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

It's clear Epstein appeared to spend a lot of time cultivating such people.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

This is not the world’s biggest problem, but it has created a lot more friction when I’ve tried to use my top sports apps to, well, check sports scores.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2026

"Your master told me a lot of things that weren't true. He even promised to give me an island to govern, and I'm still waiting for it."

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023