much

1 of 3

adjective

more ˈmȯr How to pronounce much (audio) ; most ˈmōst How to pronounce much (audio)
1
a
: great in quantity, amount, extent, or degree
there is much truth in what you say
taken too much time
b
: great in importance or significance
nothing much happened
2
obsolete : many in number
3
: more than is expected or acceptable : more than enough
the large pizza is a bit much for one person

much

2 of 3

adverb

more; most
1
a(1)
: to a great degree or extent : considerably
much happier
(2)
: very
much gratified
b(1)
(2)
: by or for a long time
didn't get to work much before noon
c
: by far
was much the brightest student
2
: nearly, approximately
looks much the way his father did

much

3 of 3

noun

1
: a great quantity, amount, extent, or degree
She gave away much of what she owned
2
: something considerable or impressive
was not much to look at
Phrases
too much
1
: wonderful, exciting
That rock concert was too much!
2
as much
1
: the same in quantity
not quite as much money
2
: to the same degree

Examples of much in a Sentence

Adjective actually, nothing much changed Adverb The new car is much better on gas mileage. They both talk too much. Thank you so much for your help. He is much interested in the project. They were much pleased by the compliment. She doesn't visit her family much. The town looks much the same. We came to much the same conclusion. We left the house much as we found it. Noun much of what people think they know about words is inaccurate or downright false
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Finally, feed the bottom half before slowly pulling it back up, allowing time for your makeshift snake to grab as much gunk as possible. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024 Half a pound of this powder can remove as much CO2 from the air as a tree, scientists say Berkeley chemists have created a reusable material that pulls carbon dioxide from the air and holds onto it until it can be stored. Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Adverb
The appropriateness of paternalistic conduct becomes much trickier when governments, employers, and doctors (among others) are involved. Chris Deubert, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 Get our Dodgers Dugout newsletter for insights, news and much more. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
Ji-Young doesn’t have to do much, and all those moments are there. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024 The second-place Giants didn’t do much, but entered Wednesday only 2½ games back. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for much 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'much.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb, and Noun

Middle English muche large, much, from michel, muchel, from Old English micel, mycel; akin to Old High German mihhil great, large, Latin magnus, Greek megas, Sanskrit mahat

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of much was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near much

Cite this Entry

“Much.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/much. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

much

1 of 3 adjective
more ˈmō(ə)r How to pronounce much (audio)
ˈmȯ(ə)r
; most ˈmōst How to pronounce much (audio)
1
: great in quantity, amount, or extent
has much money
takes too much time
2
: great in importance or significance
nothing much happened

much

2 of 3 adverb
more; most
1
a
: to a great or high level or extent
much happier
b
: very
much obliged
2
: just about : nearly
looks much as it did years ago

much

3 of 3 noun
1
: a great quantity, amount, extent, or part
much that was said is false
2
: something important or impressive
not much to look at

More from Merriam-Webster on much

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