beaucoup

adjective

beau·​coup ˈbō-(ˌ)kü 

slang

: great in quantity or amount : many, much

spent beaucoup dollars

Did you know?

In French, as you may know, beaucoup is an adverb meaning "a lot" or "much" (as in merci beaucoup, meaning "thanks a lot"). Beaucoup isn't used on its own as an adjective in French; if you want to say "many" in French, you use the phrase beaucoup de. In other words, you would say beaucoup de livres ("a lot of books"), not beaucoup livres. But French grammar was thrown to the wind when English speakers borrowed this word. Beaucoup has been used as a playful slang adjective in English since at least the 19th century.

Synonyms

• legion
• many
• multifold
• multiple
• multiplex
• multitudinous
• numerous

Examples of beaucoup in a Sentence

we were able to make beaucoup bucks working overtime at the power plant

Recent Examples on the Web

But as Nathaniel said, the major party nominees are going to have beaucoup money at their disposal, and given how much spending there is in presidential campaigns, keep in mind the diminishing returns on ad spending and the like. —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

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