much

[muhch]

adjective

more, most 

1. great in quantity, measure, or degree.

   too much cake.

noun

1. a great quantity, measure, or degree.

   Much of his research was unreliable.

2. a great, important, or notable thing or matter.

   The house is not much to look at.

adverb

more, most 

1. to a great extent or degree; greatly; far.

   to talk too much; much heavier.

2. nearly, approximately, or about.

   This is much like the others.

3. Slang.,  (used after an adjective, noun, or verb to form a question that comments on someone’s intense feelings or extreme actions in a way that is critical, sarcastic, teasing, etc.): Geeking out much?

   Jealous much?

   Geeking out much?

much

/ mʌtʃ /

determiner

1. 1. (usually used with a negative) a great quantity or degree of

      there isn't much honey left

   2. ( as pronoun )

      much has been learned from this

2. informal,  rather excessive

3. exactly that

   I suspected as much when I heard

4. See make of

5. not to any appreciable degree or extent

   he's not much of an actor really

6. informal,  of a low standard

   this beer is not up to much

7. (used with a negative) to have a high opinion of

   I don't think much of his behaviour

adverb

1. considerably

   they're much better now

2. practically; nearly (esp in the phrase much the same )

3. (usually used with a negative) often; a great deal

   it doesn't happen much in this country

4. even though; although

   much as I'd like to, I can't come

adjective

1. (predicative; usually used with a negative) impressive or important

   this car isn't much

Word History and Origins

Origin of much¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English muche, moche, shortened variant of muchel, mochel, Old English mycel; replacing Middle English miche(l), Old English micel “great, much” ( mickle ), cognate with Old Norse mikill, Gothic mikils, Greek mégal-, expanded stem of mégas “great”

Word History and Origins

Origin of much¹

Old English mycel; related to Old English micel great, Old Saxon mikil, Gothic mikils; compare also Latin magnus, Greek megas

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. not so much, not.

2. much as,

   1. almost the same as.

      We need exercise, much as we need nourishment.

   2. however much.

      Much as she wanted to stay at the party, she had to leave.

3. too much,

   1. excellent; great.

      His band is too much, especially live in concert.

   2. overwhelming or intolerable.

      His memories of the life they had together were just too much.

   3. outrageous; extreme.

      She's too much—but so hilarious!

4. make much of,

   1. to treat, represent, or consider as of great importance.

      to make much of trivial matters.

   2. to treat with great consideration; show fondness for; flatter.

More idioms and phrases containing much

• (much) sought after
• as much
• as much as
• make much of
• not miss a trick (much)
• not think much of
• pretty much
• so much
• so much for
• so much the better
• take it (just so much)
• take on (too much)
• too much of a good thing
• without so much as

Example Sentences

In the continuing evolution of the science, the FDA-approved diagnostic blood test — which costs several hundred dollars and isn’t yet covered by insurance — is a much simpler way to detect biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease.

From Los Angeles Times

ICE didn’t respond to my multiple questions about its commercial — where it’s airing, how much is it costing taxpayers and why they made an ad specifically tailored to law enforcement in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times

Legal experts said the close proximity was a red flag but that much was still unknown, including Cook’s intent and what her lenders were told.

From Salon

"Maybe this will change gradually. But this much artistic freedom is okay to make the movie interesting," he said.

From BBC

"You got to get rid of the criminals. This city's crazy, there's too much crime, it's common sense," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• a great deal www.thesaurus.com
• considerably 
• exceptionally 
• extremely 
• frequently 
• highly 
• indeed 
• often 
• regularly 
• very