as many
1
The same number of. For example, He changed jobs four times in as many years means he changed jobs four times in four years. [c. 1400]
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2
as many as. A phrase used to qualify the meaning of many as a very large number, depending on what follows it. For example, You can take as many pens as you need. [Late 1300s] Also see as ... as; as much as.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Examples from the Web for as many
Historical Examples
I replied, "As-many as you please, M. le Comte, but no answers promised."
Evan Harrington, CompleteGeorge Meredith