one of a set of objects, such as straws or pebbles, drawn or thrown from a container to decide a question or choice by chance.
the casting or drawing of such objects as a method of deciding something.
They would have to choose a winner by lot.
the decision or choice made by drawing or throwing a set of objects such as straws or pebbles.
allotted share or portion.
With her lot of the inheritance, she built a business.
the portion in life assigned by fate or Providence; one's fate, fortune, or destiny.
Her lot had not been a happy one.
a distinct portion or piece of land.
a building lot.
a piece of land forming a part of a district, city, or other community.
South Midland and Southern U.S. a farmyard or barnyard.
a piece of land having the use specified by the attributive noun or adjective.
a parking lot; a used-car lot.
Movies. a motion-picture studio and its surrounding property.
a distinct portion or parcel of anything, as of merchandise.
The furniture was to be auctioned off in 20 lots.
a number of things or persons collectively.
There's one more, and that's the lot.
kind of person; sort.
He's a bad lot.
Often lots a great many or a great deal.
a lot of books;
lots of money.
Chiefly British. a tax or duty.
to divide or distribute by lot (sometimes followed byout ).
to lot furniture for sale; to lot out apples by the basketful.
to assign to a person as their lot; allot.
to divide into lots, as land.
Obsolete. to cast or draw lots for.
cast (in) one's lot with, to ally oneself with; share the life and fortunes of.
She had cast her lot with the bohemian crowd.
draw / cast lots, to settle a question by the use of lots.
They drew lots to see who would go first.
a river in S France, flowing W to the Garonne. 300 miles (480 km) long.
a department in S France. 2,018 sq. mi. (5,225 sq. km). Cahors.
a collection of objects, items, or people
a nice lot of youngsters
portion in life; destiny; fortune
it falls to my lot to be poor
any object, such as a straw or slip of paper, drawn from others at random to make a selection or choice (esp in the phrase draw or cast lots )
the use of lots in making a selection or choice (esp in the phrase by lot )
an assigned or apportioned share
an item or set of items for sale in an auction
an area of land
a parking lot
a piece of land with fixed boundaries
a film studio and the site on which it is located
an unpleasant or disreputable person
to join with voluntarily and share the fortunes of
the entire amount or number
to a considerable extent, degree, or amount; very much
to delay a lot
a great deal of the time or often
to sing madrigals a lot
to draw lots for (something)
(tr) to divide (land, etc) into lots
(tr) another word for allot
a department of S central France, in Midi-Pyrénées region. Capital: Cahors. Pop: 164 413 (2003 est). Area: 5226 sq km (2038 sq miles)
a river in S France, rising in the Cévennes and flowing west into the Garonne River. Length: about 483 km (300 miles)
First recorded before 950; 1805–15 lot for def. 14; Middle English; Old English hlot “portion, choice, decision”; cognate with Dutch lot, Old Norse hlutr; akin to Old English hlīet, German Los, Old Norse hlaut, Gothic hlauts “lot”
From the Latin word lōtiō
A lot is a plot of land. When you buy a house, you also buy the lot on which it sits. If there's an empty lot in your neighborhood, it means there's a space covered with grass or pavement that's large enough for a house or building to fit there. Another kind of lot is a set or group of items. At an auction or estate sale, you might find a lot of antique silver spoons for sale, or a lot of comic books — in either case, the lot is a collection.
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Garry Moncrieff, from the Metropolitan Police, said the final number of people and organisations being considered for charge was "not expected to vary a lot" when the full submissions were made in September.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
“A lot of them are released really early because bed space is taken up by felons awaiting sentencing,” said Mike Webb, a former Redondo Beach city attorney who created a homeless court.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
She added its conclusion on a technicality "leaves a lot of questions and debates unresolved," such as how highly capable AI systems are governed and who reaps their economic benefits.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
I read that you used to challenge your teachers a lot in high school and college.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Then quite a lot happened all at the same time.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
