a lot

alternative nonstandard proscribed alot · alternative misspelling allot

1. informalA large amount.

   I have a lot of things to say.

   3 more examples

   A lot of people have already arrived.

   A whole lot of water is flowing from under the sink.

   Jay's seeing a lot of Linda lately.

   Antonyms: a bit

2. Many things, much.

   A lot depends on whether your parents agree.

3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see a, lot.

   A lot of tourists has left the hotel already, but there's another good lot that still remains there.

alternative nonstandard proscribed alot · alternative misspelling allot

1. informalnot comparableVery much; a great deal; to a large extent.

   It's a lot harder than it looks.

   2 more examples

   Thanks a lot for listening to me.

   Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.

   2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3

   Synonyms: immensely, loads, tons · Antonyms: a bit, above a bit, absolutely, sorely, widely, horribly, horrendously, bone

2. informalnot comparableOften; frequently.

   I go swimming a lot.

alternative nonstandard proscribed alot · alternative misspelling allot

1. informalnot comparableDifficult to handle emotionally.

   Yeah, it's a lot.

2. euphemisticnot comparabletoo much, busy.
3. not comparableslangdramatic, extra.