much

1 of 3

adjective

ˈməch 

more ˈmȯr  ; most ˈmōst 

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)

: frequently, often

(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

: terrible, awful

as much

1

: the same in quantity

not quite as much money

2

: to the same degree

Synonyms

Adjective

• big
• consequential
• earth-shattering
• earthshaking
• eventful
• historic
• important
• major
• material
• meaningful
• momentous
• monumental
• significant
• substantial
• tectonic
• weighty

Adverb

• achingly
• almighty
• archly
• awful
• awfully
• badly
• beastly
• blisteringly
• bone
• colossally
• corking
• cracking
• damn
• damned
• dang
• deadly
• desperately
• eminently
• enormously
• especially
• ever
• exceedingly
• exceeding
• extra
• extremely
• fabulously
• fantastically
• far
• fiercely
• filthy
• frightfully
• full
• greatly
• heavily
• highly
• hugely
• immensely
• incredibly
• intensely
• jolly
• majorly
• mightily
• mighty
• monstrous [chiefly dialect]
• mortally
• most
• particularly
• passing
• rattling
• real
• really
• right
• roaring
• roaringly
• seriously
• severely
• so
• sore
• sorely
• spanking
• specially
• stinking
• such
• super
• supremely
• surpassingly
• terribly
• that
• thumping
• too
• unco
• uncommonly
• vastly
• very
• vitally
• way
• whacking
• wicked
• wildly

Noun

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• volume
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Examples of much in a Sentence

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

How much of your work is storytelling and how much of it is activism? —Julian Sancton, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

How much money does someone in the U.S. need to save for a comfortable retirement? —Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

The system is forecast to bring rain to much of the northeast throughout the rest of the week, with moderate to heavy rainfall hitting the Midwest and East Coast Thursday. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

The owners of the Titanic used this law to limit how much they were forced to pay out after the ship sank in 1912. —Federica Cocco, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Here's what the experts say How much would a $250,000 home equity loan cost per month? —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024

For the second time this year, Gov. Laura Kelly must decide whether to veto far-ranging legislation that would upend how – and how much – Kansans pay in income taxes. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024

Flash flood warnings were ongoing Wednesday morning across parts of eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, far western Mississippi and southeast Arkansas, where 3 to 6 inches of rainfall have fallen across much of the area. —Robert Shackelford, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024

Now that Delta has a large partner to take travelers to much of Latin America, the airline is looking to better connect the continents. —Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024

Adverb

But climate change has made growing taro for his family and community much more difficult. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024

From luxurious bedding, to a new line of pet products from Ikea and much more in between, here are the products that wowed them in April. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

Waiting much longer could be a costly blow in their attempt to collect more than 100,000 signatures by June 26. —Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024

While the president and members of his Cabinet have repeatedly declared a deal is within reach, some U.S. officials are privately much more pessimistic -- doubtful that Hamas would agree to anything short of an arrangement that allows the group to retain power over Gaza. —Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024

On a recent flight from Auckland to Sydney, an unruly man reportedly urinated into a cup while sitting at his seat, much to the horror of his fellow passengers. —Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024

But the pressure cooker of a reunion soon uncovers old traumas, rekindles old romances, reignites old resentments, and reveals new secrets… throwing our characters into chaotic drama that’s reminiscent of the past, but with a much more modern perspective. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024

And so, all told, RCS coming to iPhone with iOS 18 is interesting but—absent that surprise change—does not alter the status quo much at all—we’ll find out more at June’s WWDC. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

While Burgundy lovers from around the globe converge on Beaune in late November for the Trois Glorieuses, or three glorious days that culminate in an auction organized by Sotheby’s, the annual events in Nuits-Saint-George are much more down to earth. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 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

One brick doesn’t do much, but a thousand bricks can build a foundation. —Kristen Hartke, Washington Post, 9 May 2023

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

Phrases Containing much

• a bit much
• add up to much
• amount to much
• as much
• as much as
• for much longer
• half again as much/many as
• half as big/much/good as
• half as much/many again as
• have any/much success
• have much to commend it
• have much to recommend him/her
• have much to recommend it
• leave much to be desired
• like so much
• make much of
• much as
• much less
• much maligned
• much of a muchness
• much to recommend them
• much to someone's regret
• much to someone's surprise
• much to the regret of (someone)
• never so much as
• not amount to much
• not do much for
• nothing so much as
• not making much sense
• not much
• not much call for
• not much cop
• not much good
• not much good at
• not much of a
• not much on
• not much to look at
• not so much (something) as (something else)
• not think much of
• not up to much
• pretty much
• so much
• so much as
• so much for
• so much so (that)
• so much the better
• take much notice of
• that's not saying much
• think much of
• too much
• very much
• very much so
• without (so much as) a by your leave

Kids Definition

much

1 of 3 adjective

ˈməch 

more ˈmō(ə)r 

ˈmȯ(ə)r

; most ˈmōst 

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