a lot

[ uh lot ]

noun

1. lot ( def 14 ).

adverb

1. lot ( def 21 ).

Spelling Note

As a noun and adverb, a lot is frequently misspelled as alot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of a lot¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Idioms and Phrases

Very many, a large number; also, very much. For example, A lot of people think the economy is declining , or Sad movies always made her cry a lot . It is sometimes put as a whole lot for greater emphasis, as in I learned a whole lot in his class . It may also emphasize a comparative indication of amount, as in We need a whole lot more pizza to feed everyone , or Mary had a lot less nerve than I expected . [ Colloquial ; early 1800s]

Example Sentences

“A lot of money was spent on political campaigns and ballot initiatives and now we are in a reality where for the next four years, all we can hope is for things not to get worse,” Dingus said.

From Salon

They do a lot of seemingly silly things in an attempt to re-create aspects of the world in a lab, where they can be monitored and replicated over and over and over.

From Slate

Those “wasteful” studies were studying the effects of stress on rats—and how that stress might be increased if those rats had a lot of previous alcohol exposure.

From Slate

There are a lot of issues here.

From Slate

But a lot of that stuff is just GOP orthodoxy now, with Project 2025 calling to scrap the DOE, sap the Fed’s powers, and return this country to the gold standard.

From Slate

Related Words

• great deal
• lots
• mass