much
Americanadjective
noun
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a great quantity, measure, or degree.
Much of his research was unreliable.
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a great, important, or notable thing or matter.
The house is not much to look at.
adverb
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to a great extent or degree; greatly; far.
to talk too much; much heavier.
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nearly, approximately, or about.
This is much like the others.
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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
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not so much, not.
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much as,
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almost the same as.
We need exercise, much as we need nourishment.
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however much.
Much as she wanted to stay at the party, she had to leave.
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too much,
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His band is too much, especially live in concert.
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overwhelming or intolerable.
His memories of the life they had together were just too much.
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She's too much—but so hilarious!
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make much of,
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to treat, represent, or consider as of great importance.
to make much of trivial matters.
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to treat with great consideration; show fondness for; flatter.
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determiner
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(usually used with a negative) a great quantity or degree of
there isn't much honey left
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( as pronoun )
much has been learned from this
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informal rather excessive
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exactly that
I suspected as much when I heard
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See make of
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not to any appreciable degree or extent
he's not much of an actor really
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informal of a low standard
this beer is not up to much
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(used with a negative) to have a high opinion of
I don't think much of his behaviour
adverb
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considerably
they're much better now
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practically; nearly (esp in the phrase much the same )
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(usually used with a negative) often; a great deal
it doesn't happen much in this country
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even though; although
much as I'd like to, I can't come
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Much of the trading volume was dominated by bullish call buying.
From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026
Much like a comedian testing out new material at small clubs, Bird considers performing a vital part of the songwriting process — a way to “complete the circuit” with the audience.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Much of the island nation erupted in wild celebrations at the final whistle.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Much like a high-stakes competition, caregiving forces us to confront the insurmountable daily.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
Much of the crop was ruined and would have to be replanted.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
