much

1 of 3

adjective

ˈməch 

more ˈmȯr  ; most ˈmōst 

1

a

: great in quantity, amount, extent, or degree

there is much truth in what you say

taken too much time

b

: great in importance or significance

nothing much happened

2

obsolete : many in number

3

: more than is expected or acceptable : more than enough

the large pizza is a bit much for one person

much

2 of 3

adverb

more; most

1

a(1)

: to a great degree or extent : considerably

much happier

(2)

: very

much gratified

b(1)

: frequently, often

(2)

: by or for a long time

didn't get to work much before noon

c

: by far

was much the brightest student

2

: nearly, approximately

looks much the way his father did

much

3 of 3

noun

1

: a great quantity, amount, extent, or degree

She gave away much of what she owned

2

: something considerable or impressive

was not much to look at

Phrases

too much

1

: wonderful, exciting

That rock concert was too much!

2

: terrible, awful

as much

1

: the same in quantity

not quite as much money

2

: to the same degree

Synonyms

Adjective

• big
• consequential
• earth-shattering
• earthshaking
• eventful
• historic
• important
• major
• material
• meaningful
• momentous
• monumental
• significant
• substantial
• tectonic
• weighty

Adverb

• achingly
• almighty
• archly
• awful
• awfully
• badly
• beastly
• blisteringly
• bone
• colossally
• corking
• cracking
• damn
• damned
• dang
• deadly
• desperately
• eminently
• enormously
• especially
• ever
• exceedingly
• exceeding
• extra
• extremely
• fabulously
• fantastically
• far
• fiercely
• filthy
• frightfully
• full
• greatly
• heavily
• highly
• hugely
• immensely
• incredibly
• intensely
• jolly
• majorly
• mightily
• mighty
• monstrous [chiefly dialect]
• mortally
• most
• particularly
• passing
• rattling
• real
• really
• right
• roaring
• roaringly
• seriously
• severely
• so
• sore
• sorely
• spanking
• specially
• stinking
• such
• super
• supremely
• surpassingly
• terribly
• that
• thumping
• too
• unco
• uncommonly
• vastly
• very
• vitally
• way
• whacking
• wicked
• wildly

Noun

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• volume
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Examples of much in a Sentence

Adjective

actually, nothing much changed

Adverb

The new car is much better on gas mileage.

They both talk too much.

Thank you so much for your help.

He is much interested in the project.

They were much pleased by the compliment.

She doesn't visit her family much.

The town looks much the same.

We came to much the same conclusion.

We left the house much as we found it.

Noun

much of what people think they know about words is inaccurate or downright false

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes do not need much water to reproduce and tend to lay eggs just above the water line in small, artificial sources of water, like buckets, pet dishes, fountains and bird baths, plant pots and saucers and old tires. —Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

But much is rooted in economics, and how even low-wage jobs in the West can ignite hopes for a better life. —Ryan J. Foley, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2024

Adverb

That beauty adorns a much more capable drive than the Seagate models mentioned above. —PCMAG, 17 Nov. 2024

Instead of continuing on to Pristine Camp, 14,800 feet high and the highlight of our trip, JSB was able to get my wife to the nearest hospital, provide an interpreter, and manage to get us to a lovely finca at a much lower altitude where my wife recovered in a beautiful setting. —Kathleen Saxe, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024

Noun

Ji-Young doesn’t have to do much, and all those moments are there. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024

The second-place Giants didn’t do much, but entered Wednesday only 2½ games back. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb, and Noun

Middle English muche large, much, from michel, muchel, from Old English micel, mycel; akin to Old High German mihhil great, large, Latin magnus, Greek megas, Sanskrit mahat

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing much

• a bit much
• add up to much
• amount to much
• as much
• as much as
• for much longer
• half again as much/many as
• half as big/much/good as
• half as much/many again as
• have any/much success
• have much to commend it
• have much to recommend it
• leave much to be desired
• like so much
• make much of
• much as
• much less
• much maligned
• much of a muchness
• much to recommend them
• much to someone's regret
• much to someone's surprise
• much to the regret of (someone)
• never so much as
• not amount to much
• not do much for
• nothing so much as
• not making much sense
• not much
• not much call for
• not much cop
• not much good
• not much good at
• not much of a
• not much on
• not much to look at
• not so much (something) as (something else)
• not think much of
• not up to much
• pretty much
• so much
• so much as
• so much for
• so much so (that)
• so much the better
• take much notice of
• that's not saying much
• think much of
• very much
• very much so
• without (so much as) a by your leave

Kids Definition

much

1 of 3 adjective

ˈməch 

more ˈmō(ə)r 

ˈmȯ(ə)r

; most ˈmōst 

1

: great in quantity, amount, or extent

has much money

takes too much time

2

: great in importance or significance

nothing much happened

much

2 of 3 adverb

more; most

1

a

: to a great or high level or extent

much happier

b

: very

much obliged

2

: just about : nearly

looks much as it did years ago

much

3 of 3 noun

1

: a great quantity, amount, extent, or part

much that was said is false

2

: something important or impressive

not much to look at