many

1 of 3

adjective

ˈme-nē 

more ˈmȯr  ; most ˈmōst 

1

: consisting of or amounting to a large but indefinite number

worked for many years

the many advantages of an education

2

: being one of a large but indefinite number

many a man

many another student

many

2 of 3

pronoun

plural in construction

: a large number of persons or things

many are called

many

3 of 3

noun

plural in construction

1

: a large but indefinite number

a good many of them

2

: the great majority of people

the many

Phrases

as many

: the same in number

saw three plays in as many days

Synonyms

Adjective

• beaucoup [slang]
• legion
• multifold
• multiple
• multiplex
• multitudinous
• numerous

Examples of many in a Sentence

Adjective

a journey of many miles begins with a single step

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

It is known for lion and leopard sightings as well as an incredible diversity of antelope species, many of which are rarely seen elsewhere. —Jack Guy, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

There's just too many people down there not to know. —Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024

That's nearly as many registrations as the venerable Arizona Libertarian Party and about 10 times as many as the state's Green Party garnered by that time. —The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024

It’s also not lost on Holland that Capote’s story is easily accessible to its many fans via Kindle or library book. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024

The original animated show covered a lot of ground, including ideas from what many fans consider the classic period of the X-Men comics, writer Chris Claremont’s run from 1975 to 1991. —Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Downdetector reported around 82,000 incidents with WhatsApp, many of which were largely resolved within an hour. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

The Ultra 2024 lineup for the rest of the weekend includes David Guetta, Peggy Gou, Eric Prydz, Nora en Pure, Steve Aoki, Seven Lions, Madeon and San Holo, Calvin Harris, Orbital and many more. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2024

Assembly: Some dollhouses are ready right out of the box, but others require assembly and may involve many steps and a bit of time. —Maya Polton, Parents, 23 Mar. 2024

Noun

New York Times Reporter Taylor Lorenz was one of many who shared the viral videos on the platform. —Danielle Garrand, CBS News, 4 June 2020

The investigation is just one of many led by House Democrats since taking the majority in the 2018 elections. —Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2019

Brazil's humiliation was complete when the home crowd - many of whom had been reduced to bitter tears in the first half hour - started cheering every German pass. —SI.com, 13 June 2018

An outspoken critic of the president, Dent has been someone the press corps relied on to publicly say what many of his colleagues were privately thinking. —Amber Phillips, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2018

Silverstein is one of many who shared the TV writer Google doc Tuesday. —Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2018

Last April many voiced their frustration at a county commission meeting. —CBS News, 19 Dec. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Pronoun, and Noun

Middle English, from Old English manig; akin to Old High German manag many, Old Church Slavonic mŭnogŭ much

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing many

• as many as
• a good many
• half as much/many again as
• half again as much/many as
• have a few too many
• how many
• many and various
• many hands make light work
• many a/an
• (many) happy returns
• not many
• one too many
• many/plenty more fish in the sea
• many moons
• so many
• great/good many
• in so many words
• the many
• too many to count
• make many demands on
• many-sided
• many's the
• many-valued
• that many
• wear many hats
• in many ways
• as many
• How many times

Kids Definition

many

1 of 3 adjective

ˈmen-ē 

more ˈmō(ə)r 

ˈmȯ(ə)r

; most ˈmōst 

1

: amounting to a large number

worked for many years

2

: being one of a large but indefinite number

told many a tale

many

2 of 3 pronoun

: a large number

many of the students were late

many

3 of 3 noun

: a large but indefinite number

a good many of them