much

American  

[muhch] / mʌtʃ /

adjective

more, most

1. great in quantity, measure, or degree.

   too much cake.

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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

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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

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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”

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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

The heaviest of the rain has also been focused across Scotland and Northern Ireland while parts of England and Wales have continued to be much drier than normal.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Prices recently dipped to near all-time lows, a gut punch for the many employees who get much of their pay in shares.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The weather authority said fire danger would remain through much of the day Saturday, warning residents to be prepared for emergency evacuations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

The Kings said there was concern in the writers room about “Cupertino” being too much of a straight-ahead law show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

There is a lot to observe there— certainly much more than Joey will ever see peering through her blinds.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The compromised information affects many more than the state’s current 5.7 million public-school students as the breach dates back to 2023 enrollments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

The family-controlled business was founded in 1870 by George Garvin Brown and is now controlled by more than 100 living descendants and spouses—many of them cousins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

School opened on schedule on Tuesday, but students, families and staff had to reset more than 600,000 passwords.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

This will allow deeper low pressure systems to affect more parts of the UK marking a shift to a more widespread wetter and windier weather.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

While Hooke was showing off his "cells," a sharp-eyed Dutch merchant named Anton van Leeuwenhoek was making more powerful microscopes.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has seen the most deaths.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Its 300 rarefied boutiques are where the high-end brand, known for its leather craftsmanship and status handbags, derives most of its sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

TrueShort moved into Culver City last month, taking over most of a 5,000-square-foot office space near Amazon’s studio.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

What would have been a grueling process for most was an escape for Dieffenbach, who was struggling through the most adverse time in his life: his mother’s bout with breast cancer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Confession is one of the most important sacraments of the Catholic Church—a holy moment in which people can repent their wrongs.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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Related Words

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

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