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many

adjective
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\ ˈme-nē How to pronounce many (audio) \
more\ ˈmȯr How to pronounce more (audio) \; most\ ˈmōst How to pronounce most (audio) \

Definition of many

 (Entry 1 of 3)

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
as many
: the same in number saw three plays in as many days

many

pronoun, plural in construction

Definition of many (Entry 2 of 3)

: a large number of persons or things many are called

many

noun, plural in construction

Definition of many (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a large but indefinite number a good many of them
2 : the great majority of people the many
Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about many

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Synonyms & Antonyms for many

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

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Examples of many in a Sentence

Adjective a journey of many miles begins with a single step
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Your intensity touches many people and draws various reactions. — BostonGlobe.com, "Horoscope," 2 Sep. 2019 While Labor Day means time off work for many people, there are plenty of stores – including Walmart – that remain open on the holiday. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Labor Day 2019: Is Walmart open on Labor Day? Is Target open? Hours for Home Depot, Lowe’s," 2 Sep. 2019 Brevard County’s barrier island evacuation notice had been for early Sunday morning, resulting in many people clearing out on Saturday. — Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian wrecks Labor Day break at Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral," 1 Sep. 2019 Walmart: Find savings and discounts throughout Walmart's many departments, from patio and garden to electronics. — Jacob Krol, Noelle Ike And Banu Ibrahim, CNN Underscored, "Labor Day Sales 2019: Your A-Z guide to shop on Sunday," 1 Sep. 2019 On Thursday, many people in Vila Nova Samuel didn’t want to talk about the ban, a sensitive subject. — Washington Post, "Protect or develop? Amazon fires signal growing pressure," 31 Aug. 2019 Though many of the Vols’ problems were on defense, this wasn’t a confidence-inspiring debut. 5. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Tennessee stunned in worst loss ever and more college football observations from Week 1," 31 Aug. 2019 Outsiders bought larger and larger pieces of land, many of the parcels purchased cheap from Native Hawaiians who lacked cash and investment capital for the enterprise. — Wade Graham, Smithsonian, "Why Molokai, With All Its Wonders, Is the Least Developed of Hawai’i’s Islands," 31 Aug. 2019 Privacy advocates are heavily against the program, as the doorbell-cameras capture images of many people who are innocent of crimes. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Excessive IPO Verbiage: CEO Daily," 29 Aug. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun, plural in construction The investigation is just one of many led by House Democrats since taking the majority in the 2018 elections. — Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, "'Conflict of interest concerns': House investigating increased military spending at Trump's Turnberry resort," 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, "World Cup Countdown: 1 Day to Go - Hosts Brazil Suffer Record Humiliation Against Phenomenal Germans," 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, "A congressional Republican cops to the real reason he’s retiring: Working with Trump isn’t fun," 26 Mar. 2018 Silverstein is one of many who shared the TV writer Google doc Tuesday. — Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "TV Writers Launch Anonymous Pay Survey Amid Push for Salary Parity," 23 Jan. 2018 Last April many voiced their frustration at a county commission meeting. — CBS News, "Health department investigating possible cancer cluster at Florida high school," 19 Dec. 2017

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

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First Known Use of many

Adjective

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

Pronoun, plural in construction

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun, plural in construction

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for many

Adjective, Pronoun, plural in construction, and Noun, plural in construction

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

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Time Traveler for many

Time Traveler

The first known use of many was before the 12th century

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Statistics for many

Cite this Entry

“Many.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/many. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for many

many

adjective
How to pronounce many (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of many

 (Entry 1 of 2)

—used to refer to a large number of things or people —often used in negative statements

many

pronoun

English Language Learners Definition of many (Entry 2 of 2)

: a large number of people or things

See the full definition for many in the English Language Learners Dictionary

many

adjective
\ ˈme-nē How to pronounce many (audio) \
more\ ˈmȯr \; most\ ˈmōst \

Kids Definition of many

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 : amounting to a large number We had many children to play with.
2 : being one of a large but not definite number There was many a day when she felt lonely.

many

pronoun

Kids Definition of many (Entry 2 of 3)

: a large number of people or things Some stayed, but many left.

many

noun

Kids Definition of many (Entry 3 of 3)

: a large number Many of our friends left.

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More from Merriam-Webster on many

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for many

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with many

Spanish Central: Translation of many

Nglish: Translation of many for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of many for Arabic Speakers

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