much

American  

[muhch] / mʌtʃ /

adjective

more, most

1. great in quantity, measure, or degree.

   too much cake.

---

noun

1. a great quantity, measure, or degree.

   Much of his research was unreliable.

2. a great, important, or notable thing or matter.

   The house is not much to look at.

adverb

more, most

1. to a great extent or degree; greatly; far.

   to talk too much; much heavier.

2. nearly, approximately, or about.

   This is much like the others.

3. Slang. (used after an adjective, noun, or verb to form a question that comments on someone’s intense feelings or extreme actions in a way that is critical, sarcastic, teasing, etc.): Geeking out much?

   Jealous much?

   Geeking out much?

idioms

1. not so much, not.

2. much as,

   1. almost the same as.

      We need exercise, much as we need nourishment.

   2. however much.

      Much as she wanted to stay at the party, she had to leave.

3. too much,

   1. excellent; great.

      His band is too much, especially live in concert.

   2. overwhelming or intolerable.

      His memories of the life they had together were just too much.

   3. outrageous; extreme.

      She's too much—but so hilarious!

4. make much of,

   1. to treat, represent, or consider as of great importance.

      to make much of trivial matters.

   2. to treat with great consideration; show fondness for; flatter.

much British  

/ mʌtʃ /

determiner

1. 1. (usually used with a negative) a great quantity or degree of

      there isn't much honey left

   2. ( as pronoun )

      much has been learned from this

2. informal rather excessive

3. exactly that

   I suspected as much when I heard

4. See make of

5. not to any appreciable degree or extent

   he's not much of an actor really

6. informal of a low standard

   this beer is not up to much

7. (used with a negative) to have a high opinion of

   I don't think much of his behaviour

---

adverb

1. considerably

   they're much better now

2. practically; nearly (esp in the phrase much the same )

3. (usually used with a negative) often; a great deal

   it doesn't happen much in this country

4. even though; although

   much as I'd like to, I can't come

adjective

1. (predicative; usually used with a negative) impressive or important

   this car isn't much

much More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing much

• (much) sought after
• as much
• as much as
• make much of
• not miss a trick (much)
• not think much of
• pretty much
• so much
• so much for
• so much the better
• take it (just so much)
• take on (too much)
• too much of a good thing
• without so much as

---

Etymology

Origin of much

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English muche, moche, shortened variant of muchel, mochel, Old English mycel; replacing Middle English miche(l), Old English micel “great, much” ( cf. mickle), cognate with Old Norse mikill, Gothic mikils, Greek mégal-, expanded stem of mégas “great”

Explanation

Use the adjective much to mean "a lot" or "a large amount." If you don't get much sleep the night before a big test, you don't get a lot. If you get too much sleep, you may sleep through your alarm and miss the test. Much is used as an adjective or adverb, but it always means a large quantity, extent, or degree. When something hurts very much, it's very painful, and when your friend says your gift is very much appreciated, she's emphasizing how happy it made her. The Middle English version of this word was muchel, "large," from the Old English micel, "great in amount or extent."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

much more most

Identifying where the ice is located, how much exists, and how it is distributed could help scientists understand whether it can become a practical resource for future lunar missions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

"I still love what I do very much, I want to keep on doing it."

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The deal—the largest ever “uprate” project—will provide about as much power as building a large new reactor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Not much rain is expected — perhaps one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch, with mountains getting a bit more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

And yet, no matter how much we bicker, I’ll never deny his talent for cooking.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Determining where the coral fit on the evolutionary family tree proved far more complicated than expected.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

However, it said the "stark reality" was that UK cask ale volumes had more than halved in less than a decade and "this trend looks set to continue across the UK".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Visceral fat is considered more harmful to health than subcutaneous fat, which lies directly beneath the skin.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

The deal means the Martin Group will control more than 100 sites.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

We know so much more about the brain today than the Phrenologists and the Whole Brainers did in 1850, yet we really understand only the rough outlines.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Their earliest soft X-ray emission has been far more difficult to observe because most narrow-field X-ray telescopes depend on gamma-ray alerts to locate a burst before turning toward it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Loan rules vary between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but most students still need to borrow to pay for their studies.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

“The single most important issue that I see, however, are older folks who get on GLP-1s,” said Nolan Fisher, a neck and back pain specialist at the Banner Health hospital system in Phoenix.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

When Rays closer Bryan Baker struck out Trent Grisham to record the final out, most of the Yankees quickly retreated to the clubhouse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Quietly, he has wondered what became of his most celebrated patient.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Related Words

• a great deal
• considerably
• exceptionally
• extremely
• frequently
• highly
• indeed
• often
• regularly
• very