most

1 of 6

adjective

1
: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
the most ability
2
: the majority of
most people

most

2 of 6

adverb (1)

1
: to the greatest or highest degree
often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative
the most challenging job he ever had
2
: to a very great degree
was most persuasive

most

3 of 6

noun

: the greatest amount
it's the most I can do

most

4 of 6

pronoun

singular or plural in construction
: the greatest number or part
most become discouraged and quit

most

5 of 6

adverb (2)

: almost
we'll be crossing the river most any time nowHamilton Basso
Can most be used in place of almost?: Usage Guide

Although considered by some to be unacceptable in all cases, most is often used to mean "almost" in both spoken and, to a lesser extent, written English to modify the adjectives all, every, and any; the pronouns all, everyone, everything, everybody, anyone, anything, and anybody; and the adverbs everywhere, anywhere, and always. Other uses of this sense of most are dialectal.

-most

6 of 6

adjective suffix

: most
innermost
: most toward
headmost
Phrases
at most or at the most
: as an extreme limit
took him an hour at most

Examples of most in a Sentence

Adjective Choosing a color took the most time. That family owned the most land. Unfortunately the negative aspects of our schools get the most attention. Adverb (1) a most careful driver, especially in bad weather Noun this room will accommodate 50 people at the most Adverb (2) the cost of most everything is higher nowadays
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
The commercial weather forecasting service says a storm is expected to move across the eastern half of North America during the peak shower activity, spreading clouds across most of the East Coast. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025 Even so, the practice of choosing a papal name remained inconsistent for the next 1,000 years, with most popes using their baptismal names. Christopher Watson, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2025
Adverb
The electric vehicle maker is scheduled after market close on Tuesday to provide what is likely to be its most important update on operations since the launch of its Model 3 vehicle in 2017. Akash Sriram, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025 The mood is homey and in tune with Burberry’s strategy of celebrating Britain and spotlighting some of its most famous names. Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for most

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb (1), Noun, and Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English mǣst; akin to Old High German meist most, Old English māra more — more at more

Adverb (2)

by shortening

Adjective suffix

Middle English, alteration of -mest (as in formest foremost)

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Adverb (1)

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

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Pronoun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb (2)

circa 1538, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of most was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Most.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

most

1 of 5 adjective
1
: the majority of
most people believe this
2
: greatest in amount or extent
the most ability

most

2 of 5 adverb
1
: to the greatest or highest level or extent
often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative
most active
most actively
2
: to a very great extent
a most careful driver

most

3 of 5 noun
: the greatest amount, number, or part

most

4 of 5 adverb
: almost
the cost of most everything is higher

-most

5 of 5 adjective suffix
ˌmōst
: most
innermost
Etymology

Adjective suffix

Middle English -most "most"

More from Merriam-Webster on most

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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