much

To a great extent.

Adjective

  1. Large, great.
    • Thenne launcelot vnbarred the dore / and with his lyfte hand he held it open a lytel / so that but one man myghte come in attones / and soo there came strydyng a good knyghte a moche man and large / and his name was...
  2. Long in duration.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-Germanic *mikilaz Proto-West Germanic *mikil Old English miċel Middle English muchel Middle English muche English much From Middle English muche (“much, great”), apocopated variant of muchel (“much, great”), from Old English myċel, miċel (“big, much”), from Proto-West Germanic *mikil, from Proto-Germanic *mikilaz (“great, many, much”), from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂- (“big, stour, great”). See also mickle, muckle. Cognates Cognate with Scots mickle, mukill, mekil, mikil (“big, large, great, much”), Middle Dutch mēkel (“great, many, much”), Middle High German michel ("great, many, much"; > German michel (“great, big, large”)), Norwegian Bokmål mye (“much”), Norwegian Nynorsk mykje (“much”), Swedish mycket (“much”), Danish meget (“much”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌺𐌹𐌻𐍃 (mikils, “great, many”), Ancient...

Adverb

  1. To a great extent.
    • I don't like melon much, and I don’t much care for milk chocolate either: I find them both much too sweet.
    • However much I eat, I never get fat.
    • He left her, much to the satisfaction of her other suitor.

    1. (with a comparative adjective) for emphasis or to indicate a great difference

      • He is much fatter than I remember him.
      • Honestly, I can't stand much more of this.
  2. Often; frequently.
    • Does he get drunk much?
  3. Used to indicate or compare extent.
    • I don't like Wagner as much as I like Mozart.
  4. Combining with an adjective or (occasionally) a noun, used in a rhetorical question to mock someone for having the specified quality.
    • Jamie's always preaching about how we need to save a planet when she drives literally everywhere she goes. Like, hypocritical much?
    • The moment you've been waiting for—the lowdown on the Overstock hottie. I talked to her by phone last week. (Jealous much, gentlemen? Ad Report Card talks to all the fine ladies.) - 2005 December 28, Seth Stevenson,...
    • Well, on the grounds of this, what if I told you the brand's latest launch goes against the latter and instead, is the first product in an opaque lip crème line? Screaming, crying, throwing up, much? - 2023 May 12, Lia...
  5. Almost.

Forms

more most

Synonyms

a great deal a lot greatly highly loads plenty very much

Antonyms

less little few almost nearly

Determiner

  1. A large amount of.
    • Do you think I have much chance of catching the train on time?
    • After much discussion, we decided to set about the task with much enthusiasm.
    • Did you do much running last summer?
  2. Used to indicate, demonstrate or compare the quantity of something.
    • Add this much water and no more.
    • Take as much time as you like.
  3. A great number of; many (people).
    • ye shall not nede to seke hym soo ferre sayd the Kynge / for as I here saye sir Launcelot will abyde me and yow in the Ioyous gard / and moche peple draweth vnto hym as I here saye - 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter X,...
    • When Jesus was come downe from the mountayne, moch people folowed him. - 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew:
    • There wasn't much people about that day. - 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLC:
  4. many ( + plural countable noun).
    • They got so much things to say right now, they got so much things to say. - 1977, Bob Marley, “So Much Things to Say”:

Forms

more most

Synonyms

a great deal of a lot of

Antonyms

little

Related

how much too much

Pronoun

  1. A large amount or great extent.
    • From those to whom much has been given much is expected.
    • We lay awake for much of the night.
    • Much of literature is concerned with stylistics.

Derived

a bit much as much as much again as much as as much as possible as much sinning as sinned against as much use as a chocolate fireguard as much use as a chocolate teapot enough is too much forasmuch fuck you very much how much does it cost how much do I owe you how much do you charge how much is it in as much as insomuch leave much to be desired make much methinks the lady doth protest too much methinks thou dost protest too much much ado about nothing much appreciated much as