much 1 of 3

adjective

ˈməch How to pronounce much (audio)
Definition of muchnext
as in significant
having great meaning or lasting effect actually, nothing much changed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

much

2 of 3

adverb

1
as in very
to a great degree much gratified by the favorable response to her novel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in highly
to a large extent or degree the new decorations made me much happier

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in almost
very close to but not completely today the old neighborhood looks much as it did years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in often
many times I don't do that much anymore

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in about
close to but not exactly he behaves much the same as I did at that age

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

much

3 of 3

noun

as in plenty
a considerable amount much of what people think they know about words is inaccurate or downright false

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of much
Adjective
Tom Cruise may not have much of a presence at the American Film Market, more accustomed to selling movies with considerably lower budgets than those the star is used to. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2026 How much of Congress has to agree for a Cabinet secretary to be removed? — Meg Kinnard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
Adverb
But that might not matter much unless the quarterback play improves considerably. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026 That’s in large part because the smallest player on the roster who isn’t kicker Cairo Santos — Raymond is 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds — blocks like a much bigger man. — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
Noun
Phoenix lost its best player, and while the club still has Devin Booker on its side, the Suns aren't expected to do much. — Ricardo Klein, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 With Aoki cruising, the offense didn’t have to do much, but the Trojans built momentum as the game progressed. — Shotgun Spratling, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for much
Recent Examples of Synonyms for much
  1. significant
  2. very
  3. highly
  4. almost
  5. often
  6. about
  7. ton
  8. important
Adjective
  • That requirement could put Florida on the hook to find a way to pay for a $1 billion penalty in cost sharing for federal food aid, according to calculations by the Florida Policy Institute, or make significant eligibility cuts.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 14 Nov. 2026
  • For Farid, that accessibility is what makes the current wave of memes significant beyond the jokes themselves.
    — Steve Mollman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2026
Definition of significant
Adverb
  • In the mid-1970s, the building housing the Westin opened as the very first Holiday Inn resort in the Caribbean, with Buoy Haus’s beachfront location opening as a low-rise motor inn shortly after.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2026
  • After multiple attempts to press forward, the message of the direction of the school was received very clearly.
    — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of very
Adverb
  • Tuesday’s lawsuit is the fourth legal challenge brought against the president’s highly controversial monument.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The economic ripple effects of a case Those indirect costs can add up quickly because measles is highly contagious and a single infected person can expose dozens of others.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of highly
Adverb
  • His 3-point win that year kept the seat, held by Richard Burr for almost two decades, in Republican hands.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Billy Joel will tickle the ivories in public again for the first time in almost two years next month.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of almost
Adverb
  • The additional processing stages often introduced delays and lost information between audio and text.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The service Like many hotels in the Vail Valley, the staff skews young—often ski-season transplants and J-1 visa students here for a winter (or summer) in the mountains.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of often
Adverb
  • Most hikers spend about 10 to 13 days completing the full route, though shorter itineraries of 5 to 8 days often cut or bypass certain stages.
    — Amber Dunlap, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2026
  • The test speed exceeded mainland China’s usual expressway limit of about 75 mph (120 km/h).
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Nov. 2026
Definition of about
Noun
  • The machine uses a Volvo Penta electric driveline and is rated to lay up to 551 US tons (500 tonnes) of asphalt per hour without producing exhaust emissions at the work site.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026
  • But SpaceX is phasing out the Falcon 9 — and its heavy-lift cousin, the Falcon Heavy — nonetheless, shifting all launch work over to its fully reusable Starship megarocket, which can haul more than 100 tons to LEO.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of ton
Adjective
  • From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and those little, important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 14 Nov. 2026
  • Fiber plays an important role in blood sugar management by slowing carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption.
    — LeeAnn Weintraub, Oc Register, 14 Nov. 2026
Definition of important

Phrases Containing much

Browse Nearby Words

Mrs. Grundys
much
much as
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Much.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/much. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All