most

1 of 6

adjective

1
: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
the most ability
2
: the majority of
most people

most

2 of 6

adverb (1)

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

most

3 of 6

noun

: the greatest amount
it's the most I can do

most

4 of 6

pronoun

singular or plural in construction
: the greatest number or part
most become discouraged and quit

most

5 of 6

adverb (2)

: almost
we'll be crossing the river most any time nowHamilton 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

6 of 6

adjective suffix

: most
innermost
: most toward
headmost
Phrases
at most or at the most
: as an extreme limit
took him an hour at most

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
Wildfire smoke is shown across the South, and most of the Midwest and Northeast. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024 The new features enabled give Apple Wallet holders access a suite of information beyond just the date, time, row and seat which are common on most mobile tickets. Eric Fuller, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Adverb
The Louisville food community has lost one of its most iconic chefs and champions. Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 31 Oct. 2024 The View's 10 most disturbing Halloween costumes of all time Both Harris and Biden have made recent appearances on The View, as the talk show has long been an important pit stop for political candidates before a presidential election. EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for most 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb (1), Noun, and Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English mǣst; akin to Old High German meist most, Old English māra more — more at more

Adverb (2)

by shortening

Adjective suffix

Middle English, alteration of -mest (as in formest foremost)

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Adverb (1)

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

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Pronoun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb (2)

circa 1538, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of most was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near most

Cite this Entry

“Most.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

most

1 of 5 adjective
1
: the majority of
most people believe this
2
: greatest in amount or extent
the most ability

most

2 of 5 adverb
1
: 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 suffix
ˌmōst
: most
innermost
Etymology

Adjective suffix

Middle English -most "most"

More from Merriam-Webster on most

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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