lot

noun (1)

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\ ˈlät

Definition of lot

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : an object used as a counter in determining a question by chance

2a : the use of lots as a means of deciding something One was chosen by lot to represent the group.

b : the resulting choice

3a : something that comes to one upon whom a lot has fallen : share The will provided for equal lots for all the children.

b : one's way of life or worldly fate : fortune the lot of man, to suffer and to die— Alexander Pope

4a : a portion of land

b : a measured parcel of land having fixed boundaries and designated on a plot or survey built his home on a half-acre lot

c : a motion-picture studio and its adjoining property

d : an establishment for the storage or sale of motor vehicles a used car lot

5a : a number of units of an article, a single article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale) Lot 45 is a dining room set.

b : all the members of a present group, kind, or quantity —usually used with thesampled the whole lot of desserts

6a : a number of associated persons : set fell in with a rough lot

b : kind, sort The recruits were a sorry lot.

7 : a considerable quantity or extent a lot of money lots of friends

all over the lot

: covering a wide or varied range received bids all over the lot

a lot

1 : to a considerable degree or extent this is a lot nicer

2 : often, frequently runs a lot every day

3 : lots

lot

verb

lotted; lotting

Definition of lot (Entry 2 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : allot, apportion

2 : to form or divide into lots

Lot

noun (2)

\ ˈlät

Definition of Lot (Entry 3 of 4)

: a nephew of Abraham who according to the account in Genesis escaped from the doomed city of Sodom with his wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back

Lot

geographical name

\ ˈlät

, ˈlȯt \

Definition of Lot (Entry 4 of 4)

river 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in southern France flowing west into the Garonne River

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about lot

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Choose the Right Synonym for lot

Noun (1)

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end. fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome. the fate of the submarine is unknown destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end. the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance it was her lot to die childless , portion implying the apportioning of good and evil. remorse was his daily portion doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate. if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of lot in a Sentence

Noun (1) He bought the vacant lot across the street. They own the house on the corner lot. We took a tour of the Universal lot. The organization has done much to improve the lot of underprivileged youth. Unhappy with her lot in life, she moved to the city to start over. Verb everyone is lotted opportunities in life, and it's their responsibility to take them

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun There’s been a lot of asymmetry building because of what the Fed has been doing. — Lucinda Shen, Fortune, "Chamath Palihapitiya wants to be the Warren Buffett of tech investing," 26 June 2020 Reynolds and Shibley recognize there's a lot of work ahead of them. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football players hope to create real change through Big Ten Anti-Racism Coalition," 26 June 2020 So there was a lot of music going on from that transistor radio. — Washington Post, "Q&A with Annie Lennox: Why the singer doesn’t listen to music," 26 June 2020 If there is a lot of flour on the crackers, turn them over with a spatula. — cleveland, "Homemade crackers: Who needs a box?," 25 June 2020 The likely answer is yes, but with that mentality, there are a lot of caveats and concerns. — John Talty | Jtalty@al.com, al, "Fact or Fiction: Do Clemson, LSU have an edge from summer COVID-19 outbreak?," 25 June 2020 What stands in the way of making climate a priority is a lot of old-school Democrats—some in trade-union labor and some just plain establishment folk—who think that bold climate action will cost us key states. — Bill Mckibben, The New Yorker, "What Stands in the Way of Making the Climate a Priority," 24 June 2020 On the other hand, the $250 10L is a lot of value for the money. — Adrienne So, Wired, "TCL's Newest Phones Are Already on Sale," 24 June 2020 There are a lot of schools that have girls wrestling on predominately boy teams such as Milwaukee Reagan, which with 21 female wrestlers had one of the largest contingents in the state last season. — Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin high schools will have a girls state wrestling tournament for the 2021-22 season," 23 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lot.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for lot

Noun (1)

Middle English lot, lott "object used to decide a matter by chance, decision by the use of such objects, what one receives through such a decision, destiny, share," going back to Old English hlot, going back to Germanic *hluta- (whence also Old Frisian hlot, lot "lot," Old High German hluz, Old Norse hlutr), noun derivative from a verb *hleutan- "to cast lots" (whence Old English hlēotan "to cast lots, obtain, gain as one's lot," Old Saxon hliotan "to obtain," Old High German liozan "to cast lots," Old Norse hjlóta "to get by lot, obtain, undergo"), of uncertain origin

Note: An o-grade ablaut derivative is evident in Old English hlȳt, hlīet "lot, share," Old Saxon hlōt, Old High German hlōz, Old Norse hlautr (conflated with a different word meaning "blood sacrifice"), Gothic hlauts. The Germanic verb has been compared with Lithuanian kliū́ti "to get caught on, bump into, hinder," kliudýti "to bump into, meet, hinder," Old Church Slavic ključiti sę "to happen, come to pass," but the proposed semantic connection is tenuous.

Verb

Middle English lotten, derivative of lot lot entry 1

Noun (2)

Hebrew Lōṭ

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Dictionary Entries near lot

Statistics for lot

Last Updated

29 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Lot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lot. Accessed 5 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for lot

lot

noun

Financial Definition of lot

What It Is

A lot is a securities trade for a “standard” number of trading units. In stock trading, a lot is 100 shares (also called a "round lot"). However, inactive stocks generally trade in 10-share lots.

How It Works

Lots are the standard trading amount, and thus they usually incur the most favorable commission costs. For example, if you wanted to buy six lots of Company XYZ stock, you would be buying 600 shares.

Investors, especially individuals, frequently cannot or do not want to bear the expense of trading shares in round lots, however, which is why most brokers also accept “odd-lot” trades (though they may charge a higher commission for doing so). However, the advent of electronic and online trading platforms has reduced, and in some cases eliminated, these odd-lot premiums.

Why It Matters

Lot investors tend to be larger investors. The ratio of odd-lot buying to odd-lot selling, on the other hand, is often used to evaluate small-investor sentiment.

Source: Investing Answers

lot

noun

\ ˈlät

Kids Definition of lot

1 : an object used in deciding something by chance or the use of such an object to decide something

2 : fate sense 2 It was their lot to be poor.

3 : a piece or plot of land a vacant lot

4 : a large number or amount lots of books a lot of help

lot

noun

Legal Definition of lot

1 : a portion of land specifically : a measured parcel of contiguous land having fixed boundaries and recorded (as on a plat) with the appropriate authority or office (as a registry of deeds)

2 : a single article, a number of units of an article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale) specifically : a parcel or single article under the Uniform Commercial Code which is the subject matter of a separate sale, lease, or delivery whether or not it is sufficient to perform the contract — see also odd lot, round lot

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