1
: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
the most ability
2
: the majority of
most people
1
: to the greatest or highest degree
—often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative
the most challenging job he ever had
2
: to a very great degree
was most persuasive
: the greatest amount
it's the most I can do
singular or plural in construction
: the greatest number or part
most become discouraged and quit
: almost
we'll be crossing the river most any time now—
Hamilton Basso
Hamilton Basso
Can most be used in place of almost?: Usage Guide
Although considered by some to be unacceptable in all cases, most is often used to mean "almost" in both spoken and, to a lesser extent, written English to modify the adjectives all, every, and any; the pronouns all, everyone, everything, everybody, anyone, anything, and anybody; and the adverbs everywhere, anywhere, and always. Other uses of this sense of most are dialectal.
: most
innermost
: most toward
headmost
Examples of most in a Sentence
Adjective
Choosing a color took the most time.
That family owned the most land.
Unfortunately the negative aspects of our schools get the most attention.
Adverb (1)
a most careful driver, especially in bad weather
Noun
this room will accommodate 50 people at the most
Adverb (2)
the cost of most everything is higher nowadays
Recent Examples on the Web
Kenrick Cai, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Like most of Musk’s companies, xAI doesn’t typically respond to reporters’ requests for comment and had remained silent on the matter until its post late Thursday.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 16 May 2025
Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 17 May 2025
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for most
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Adjective
The company continues to offer Google One subscription tiers for file storage, but without most AI features, at lower prices.
—Kenrick Cai, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Like most of Musk’s companies, xAI doesn’t typically respond to reporters’ requests for comment and had remained silent on the matter until its post late Thursday.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 16 May 2025
Adverb
The second most common was diazolidinyl urea, which was included in 17 of the 41 products, largely skincare-related.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 17 May 2025
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for most
Cite this Entry
“Most.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
most
1 of 5 adjective1
: the majority of
most people believe this
2
: greatest in amount or extent
the most ability
most
2 of 5 adverb1
: to the greatest or highest level or extent
—often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative
most active
most actively
2
: to a very great extent
a most careful driver
most
3 of 5 noun
: the greatest amount, number, or part
most
4 of 5 adverb
: almost
the cost of most everything is higher
-most
5 of 5 adjective suffixˌmōst
: most
innermost
Etymology
Adjective suffix
Middle English -most "most"
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