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

A lot of people already live paycheck to paycheck — even those who earn good incomes.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

The problem: A lot of those people still only know the manosphere creep through his clips and not his full videos, where his ugly visions are actually laid out in full.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

A lot of food vendors and restaurants are into it.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

"A lot about the process of conducting research and how new research findings are effectively communicated with the broader scientific community."

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

A lot of things have happened lately to get me thinking about that.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• entirely
• substantially
• totally
• wholly