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.
See Examples For:
While weather has cooled across much of the UK in recent days following record-breaking heat over the summer, fire crews have still been warning of wildfire risks.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“The scale is so much bigger than we’ve seen in more traditional markets.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
But this year’s complaints recall another era of New York society, when the best seats at the opera were as much about being seen in the box as seeing what was happening onstage.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
The discord meant the program spent much of the summer hiring replacement correspondents, including Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion writer with no experience as a TV journalist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
He isn’t supposed to be in Manila in the first place, and who knows how much longer he’ll have to be there?
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Gloria Steinem always listened more than she spoke, which is one reason her words had such lasting impact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
No player attempted more dribbles in the match than his eight.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The company lifted its revenue guidance for the current quarter, saying it expected revenue growth of around 50% at constant currency and scope, compared with more than 30% growth previously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
What’s even more frustrating is that, when it was first announced, the Met said the exhibition would address the derogatory conduct that fundamentally altered Galliano’s career and reception.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
In 1902, the sisters marched into the Board of Control, the governing body for the home, and demanded more funds.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“This is the most important thing we can do for each other: is to know each other through stories.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Bruno Guimaraes's £75m capture from Newcastle United was Arsenal's most eye-catching signing.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Jurvetson and his wife, Genevieve Jurvetson, have been some of the most high-profile supporters of psychedelic medicine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
And, perhaps most importantly, why do we, as a culture, continually stand in the way of our own edification, removing the possibility to understand each other better under the guise of progress?
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
In his remarks to the US House of Representatives in 1952, he explains that his bill intends to provide permanent residency to “a most distinguished and courageous woman.”
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
