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[mawr, mohr]
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adjective, compar. of much or many with most as superl.
  1. in greater quantity, amount, measure, degree, or number: I need more money.
  2. additional or further: Do you need more time? More discussion seems pointless.
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noun
  1. an additional quantity, amount, or number: I would give you more if I had it. He likes her all the more. When I could take no more of such nonsense, I left.
  2. a greater quantity, amount, or degree: More is expected of him. The price is more than I thought.
  3. something of greater importance: His report is more than a survey.
  4. (used with a plural verb) a greater number of a class specified, or the greater number of persons: More will attend this year than ever before.
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adverb compar. of much with most as superl.
  1. in or to a greater extent or degree (in this sense often used before adjectives and adverbs, and regularly before those of more than two syllables, to form comparative phrases having the same force and effect as the comparative degree formed by the termination -er): more interesting; more slowly.
  2. in addition; further; longer; again: Let's talk more another time. We couldn't stand it any more.
  3. moreover.
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Idioms
  1. more and more, to an increasing extent or degree; gradually more: They became involved more and more in stock speculation.
  2. more or less,
    1. to some extent; somewhat: She seemed more or less familiar with the subject.
    2. about; in substance; approximately: We came to more or less the same conclusion.
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Origin of more

before 900; Middle English; Old English māra; cognate with Old High German mēro, Old Norse meiri, Gothic maiza. See most
Related formsmore·ness, noun
Can be confusedmoor more
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for more and more

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noun
  1. Hannah. 1745–1833, English writer, noted for her religious tracts, esp The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain
  2. Sir Thomas . 1478–1535, English statesman, humanist, and Roman Catholic Saint; Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII (1529–32). His opposition to the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon and his refusal to recognize the Act of Supremacy resulted in his execution on a charge of treason. In Utopia (1516) he set forth his concept of the ideal state. Feast day: June 22 or July 6
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more

determiner
    1. the comparative of much, many more joy than you know; more pork sausages
    2. (as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural)he has more than she has; even more are dying every day
    1. additional; furtherno more bananas
    2. (as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural)I can't take any more; more than expected
  3. more of to a greater extent or degreewe see more of Sue these days; more of a nuisance than it should be
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adverb
  1. used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbsa more believable story; more quickly
  2. the comparative of much people listen to the radio more now
  3. additionally; againI'll look at it once more
  4. more or less
    1. as an estimate; approximately
    2. to an unspecified extent or degreethe party was ruined, more or less
  5. more so to a greater extent or degree
  6. neither more nor less than simply
  7. think more of to have a higher opinion of
  8. what is more moreover
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Word Origin

Old English māra; compare Old Saxon, Old High German mēro, Gothic maiza. See also most

xref

See most
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for more and more

more

adj.

Old English mara "greater, more, stronger, mightier," used as a comparative of micel "great" (see mickle), from Proto-Germanic *maizon- (cf. Old Saxon mera, Old Norse meiri, Old Frisian mara, Middle Dutch mere, Old High German mero, German mehr), from PIE *meis- (cf. Avestan mazja "greater," Old Irish mor "great," Welsh mawr "great," Greek -moros "great," Oscan mais "more"), from root *me- "big." Sometimes used as an adverb in Old English ("in addition"), but Old English generally used related ma "more" as adverb and noun. This became Middle English mo, but more in this sense began to predominate in later Middle English.

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."

"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing."

More or less "in a greater or lesser degree" is from early 13c.; appended to a statement to indicate approximation, from 1580s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with more and more

more and more

Increasingly, to a steadily growing extent or degree. For example, As night came on, we were getting more and more worried, or More and more I lean toward thinking he is right. [c. 1200]

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more

In addition to the idioms beginning with more

  • more and more
  • more bang for the buck
  • more dead than alive
  • more fun than a barrel of monkeys
  • more in sorrow than in anger
  • more often than not
  • more or less
  • more power to someone
  • more sinned against than sinning
  • more than meets the eye
  • more than one bargained for
  • more than one can shake a stick at
  • more than one way to skin a cat
  • more the merrier, the

also see:

  • bite off more than one can chew
  • irons in the fire, more than one
  • wear another (more than one) hat
  • what is more
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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.