lot

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈlät 

plural lots

1

: an object used as a counter in determining a question by chance see also throw in one's lot with

2

a

: the use of lots as a means of deciding something

One was chosen by lot to represent the group.

b

: the resulting choice

3

a

: something that comes to one upon whom a lot has fallen : share

The will provided for equal lots for all the children.

b

: one's way of life or worldly fate : fortune

the lot of man, to suffer and to die

—Alexander Pope

4

a

: a portion of land

b

: a measured parcel of land having fixed boundaries and designated on a plot or survey

built his home on a half-acre lot

c

: a movie studio and its adjoining property

d

: an establishment for the storage or sale of motor vehicles

a used car lot

5

a

: a number of units of an article, a single article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale)

Lot 45 is a dining room set.

b

: all the members of a present group, kind, or quantity

—usually used with the

sampled the whole lot of desserts

6

a

: a number of associated persons : set

fell in with a rough lot

b

: kind, sort

The recruits were a sorry lot.

7

: a considerable quantity or extent

a lot of money

lots of friends

see also a lot, lots

lot

2 of 3

verb

lotted; lotting

transitive verb

1

: allot, apportion

2

: to form or divide into lots

Lot

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈlät 

: a nephew of Abraham who according to the account in Genesis escaped from the doomed city of Sodom with his wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back

Phrases

all over the lot

: covering a wide or varied range

received bids all over the lot

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• parcel
• plat
• plot
• property
• tract

Verb

• allocate
• allot
• allow
• apportion
• assign
• distribute
• ration

Choose the Right Synonym for lot

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.

fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance

it was her lot to die childless

, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of lot in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He bought the vacant lot across the street.

They own the house on the corner lot.

We took a tour of the Universal lot.

The organization has done much to improve the lot of underprivileged youth.

Unhappy with her lot in life, she moved to the city to start over.

Verb

everyone is lotted opportunities in life, and it's their responsibility to take them

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The landscaped lot has a big front porch, a patio with a flat-screen TV, a firepit, and an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven. —The Week Staff, theweek, 10 Dec. 2024

The temptation to give him the whole lot is too much. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Among the top lots from the brand and the overall sale were two pieces. —Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

The School Board learned this past spring that lots for 1,500 new homes in Prairie Grove had been approved by the city, according to Superintendent Lance Campbell. —Lynn Kutter, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English lot, lott "object used to decide a matter by chance, decision by the use of such objects, what one receives through such a decision, destiny, share," going back to Old English hlot, going back to Germanic *hluta- (whence also Old Frisian hlot, lot "lot," Old High German hluz, Old Norse hlutr), noun derivative from a verb *hleutan- "to cast lots" (whence Old English hlēotan "to cast lots, obtain, gain as one's lot," Old Saxon hliotan "to obtain," Old High German liozan "to cast lots," Old Norse hjlóta "to get by lot, obtain, undergo"), of uncertain origin

Note: An o-grade ablaut derivative is evident in Old English hlȳt, hlīet "lot, share," Old Saxon hlōt, Old High German hlōz, Old Norse hlautr (conflated with a different word meaning "blood sacrifice"), Gothic hlauts. The Germanic verb has been compared with Lithuanian kliū́ti "to get caught on, bump into, hinder," kliudýti "to bump into, meet, hinder," Old Church Slavic ključiti sę "to happen, come to pass," but the proposed semantic connection is tenuous.

Verb

Middle English lotten, derivative of lot lot entry 1

Noun (2)

Hebrew Lōṭ

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1534, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lot

• a (fat) lot of good
• a lot
• a lot of
• a lot of garbage/nonsense
• a lot of hullabaloo
• a lot to contend with
• an awful lot
• an awful lot of
• a whole lot
• a whole lot of
• barn lot
• cast one's lot with
• cell lot
• cell phone lot
• cell phone parking lot
• do (someone) a world/lot of good
• has a lot to recommend it
• have a lot going for you
• have a lot in common
• have a lot to answer for
• job lot
• leave a lot to be desired
• making (a lot of) noise
• Not a lot of
• odd lot
• parking lot
• round lot
• scot and lot
• show (a lot of) promise
• sub-lot
• take a lot of doing
• take a lot of lumps
• take (a lot of) time
• take a lot out of (someone)
• thanks a bunch/lot/million
• the lot
• throw in one's lot with
• vacant lot

Kids Definition

lot

noun

ˈlät

1

: an object used as a counter in determining a question by chance

2

a

: the use of lots as a means of deciding something

choose by lot

b

: the choice resulting from deciding by lot

3

a

: something that comes to one by or as if by lot

b

: one's course in life especially as decided by chance

4

a

: a piece or plot of land

owns the corner lot

a building lot

b

: a motion-picture studio and its surrounding property

5

: a number of articles offered (as at an auction) for sale as one item

6

: a number of associated persons : set

the lot that hangs around the arcade

7

: a large amount, quantity, or number

a lot of space

a lot of books

lots of food

had been there lots of times

Legal Definition

lot

noun

1

: a portion of land

specifically : a measured parcel of contiguous land having fixed boundaries and recorded (as on a plat) with the appropriate authority or office (as a registry of deeds)

2

: a single article, a number of units of an article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale)

specifically : a parcel or single article under the Uniform Commercial Code which is the subject matter of a separate sale, lease, or delivery whether or not it is sufficient to perform the contract see also odd lot, round lot

Geographical Definition

Lot

geographical name

ˈlät 

ˈlȯt

river 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in southern France flowing west into the Garonne River