much

[muhch]

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?

much

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of much¹

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” ( mickle ), cognate with Old Norse mikill, Gothic mikils, Greek mégal-, expanded stem of mégas “great”

Word History and Origins

Origin of much¹

Old English mycel; related to Old English micel great, Old Saxon mikil, Gothic mikils; compare also Latin magnus, Greek megas

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

Example Sentences

That was Ray Dalio — the billionaire founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates — discussing how much gold it makes sense for investors to have in their portfolios.

Read more on MarketWatch

Resolution of the shutdown and the return of data will be worth as much as the data itself.

Read more on MarketWatch

Global data further indicates major differences between countries in how much and how often men and women drink.

Read more on Science Daily

Frequent headlines about stock indexes hitting record highs don’t mean very much when we are in a bull market, as steady economic growth can fuel overall stock-market growth.

Read more on MarketWatch

Securing a conviction, though, will be harder because it requires a much higher standard of proof—and because the Justice Department will face questions about its motives.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• a great deal www.thesaurus.com
• considerably 
• exceptionally 
• extremely 
• frequently 
• highly 
• indeed 
• often 
• regularly 
• very