many

adjective \ ˈme-nē \

Updated on: 16 May 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

No Brewers pitcher had recorded that many Ks in his debut, with Steve Woodard's previous mark of 12 standing since 1997.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Freddy Peralta's sensational debut had family, Brewers teammates shedding tears of joy," 13 May 2018
Some magazines advised women not to match their daughters exactly, but many did anyway.

— kimberly chrisman-campbell, The Atlantic, "The Curious History of Mommy-and-Me Fashion," 13 May 2018
As many will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 13, activists have stressed the fact that celebrations must be inclusive and acknowledge incarcerated caretakers, mothers, and guardians.

— alyxandra goodwin, Teen Vogue, "Mother's Day Needs to Be Inclusive of Incarcerated Moms, and Here’s How You Can Help," 13 May 2018
This incredible home designed by renowned architect Birdsall Briscoe is in historic Broadacres on what many would consider one of the most beautiful and scenic streets in Houston.

— lisa zapalac, Houston Chronicle, "Prime Property: Historic Broadacres home designed by architect Birdsall Briscoe," 13 May 2018
The show, at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC, should feature many cameos.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Royal wedding, Hedy Lamarr, season finales: This week," 13 May 2018
Her children Susan and Richard Brousseau her grandchildren Teresa, Rachel and Steven and Great grandchildren Michael, Dominic, Gabriella and Rose and many family and friends.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Rose Marie Brousseau," 12 May 2018
American citizens, many the children of undocumented immigrants, were the third-biggest group.

— The Economist, "Canada qualifies its welcome to asylum-seekers," 12 May 2018
What many found surprising was that the perpetrators and victims alike were all senior citizens.

— matt sedensky, USA TODAY, "'It’s like ‘Mean Girls,’ but everyone is 80': How nursing homes deal with bullies," 12 May 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

in the meaning defined above

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Examples of many in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of many

many Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near 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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