many

adjective \ ˈme-nē \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of many

more play \ˈmȯr\; most play \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

— as many

: the same in number

saw three plays in as many days

See many defined for English-language learners

See many defined for kids

Examples of many in a Sentence

a journey of many miles begins with a single step

Recent Examples of many from the Web

Such efforts, together with the anticipation of greater headwinds overseas, have led many economists and investors to forecast some deceleration in economic expansion during the rest of the year.

— lingling wei, WSJ, "China Fends Off Trade Trouble With 6.8% Growth," 17 Apr. 2018
His highlight reel of TV appearances stacks up well against those of many in the uniquely TV-friendly Trump Administration – if not that of our former Apprentice-hosting commander-in-chief.

— daniel d'addario, Time, "James Comey Met President Trump on His Own Terms – and Came Away Looking Smaller," 16 Apr. 2018
Those complaining that this clearly meant that special counsel Robert Mueller was over-extending his reach—and there were many of them—had a couple of difficult facts to consider.

— graeme mcmillan, WIRED, "While You Were Offline: The Final Days of Paul Ryan," 15 Apr. 2018
Those who have studied mass shooters say many of them — although not all — showed warning signs of such impending violence.

— kristina davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Don't be surprised if your doctor asks you about guns," 15 Apr. 2018
Yet the contrast between the two was real, and Ryan’s retirement has been read by many as the defeat of his political brand.

— craig gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Remember GOP's Cheesehead Revolution? As Ryan leaves, Wisconsin's national influence wanes," 14 Apr. 2018
While Trump said the duties would be put in place to protect US jobs, many economists said the impact of price hikes for users of the metals, including the auto and oil industries, would destroy more jobs than curbs on imports would create.

— Houston Chronicle, "BRADY BRIEFING: Stop China’s cheating but protect U.S. jobs," 14 Apr. 2018
This book tells many of the problems associated with the care of a dementia patient.

— idahostatesman, "Caregiver’s diary, homage to St. John’s cathedral are new books out by local authors | Idaho Statesman," 14 Apr. 2018
The politics over a child's rape and killing has upset many of the area's Hindu residents too.

— Fox News, "8-year-old girl's rape, death in India sparks widespread protests mired in religious politics," 13 Apr. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of many

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

many Synonyms

Phrases

all kinds of, quite a few;

many

pronoun, plural in construction

Definition of many

: a large number of persons or things

many are called

Origin and Etymology of many

see ¹many

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

many

noun, plural in construction

Definition of many

1 : a large but indefinite number

a good many of them

2 : the great majority of people

the many

Recent Examples of many from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of many

see ¹many

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

MANY Defined for Kids

many

adjective \ ˈme-nē \

Definition of many for Students

more \ˈmȯr\; most \ˈmōst\

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

Definition of many for Students

: a large number of people or things

Some stayed, but many left.

many

noun

Definition of many for Students

: a large number

Many of our friends left.

Learn More about many

See words that rhyme with many Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for 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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many

Definition of many

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Origin and Etymology of many

many Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Phrases

many

Definition of many

Origin and Etymology of many

many

Definition of many

Recent Examples of many from the Web

Origin and Etymology of many

MANY Defined for Kids

many

Definition of many for Students

many

Definition of many for Students

many

Definition of many for Students

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