1
: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
the most ability
got the most attention
2
: the majority of
most people
see also:
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
somewhat formal
: to a very great degree
was most persuasive
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
Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
The rooms The 14 sea view cottages, built of native stone and coral on Quaker-era bones, sit along a windswept ridge where trade winds do most of the work.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Thirty years after the original, ol’ Ghostface is back in ‘Scream 7,’ repping horror’s most reliable franchise.
—Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for most
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Adjective
The controversy around ‘mipymes’ Cuba’s private sector has a bad reputation in Miami, where many local politicians and activists have insisted that most businesses are really connected to the Cuban government or are owned by members of the elite in power.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
The rooms The 14 sea view cottages, built of native stone and coral on Quaker-era bones, sit along a windswept ridge where trade winds do most of the work.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
Anthropic has been most focused on applying its technology to cybersecurity and has been one of the only advanced AI models available for use in classified operations.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Thirty years after the original, ol’ Ghostface is back in ‘Scream 7,’ repping horror’s most reliable franchise.
—Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for most
Cite this Entry
“Most.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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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