a lot

• alot (nonstandard, proscribed)
• allot (misspelling)

See lot.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ə ˈlɒt/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ə ˈlɑt/
• Rhymes: -ɒt
• Homophone: allot

a lot

1. (informal) A large amount.

   Antonyms: a bit; see also Thesaurus:quantity

   I have a lot of things to say.

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

   Jay's seeing a lot of Linda lately.

2. Many things, much.

   A lot depends on whether your parents agree.

a lot (not comparable)

1. (informal) Very much; a great deal; to a large extent.

   Synonyms: immensely, loads, tons

   Antonyms: a bit; see also Thesaurus:very

   Coordinate terms: somewhat, to an extent

   Thanks a lot for listening to me.

   It's a lot harder than it looks.

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

     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.

2. (informal) Often; frequently.

   I go swimming a lot.

a lot (not comparable)

1. (informal) Difficult to handle emotionally.

   Yeah, it's a lot.

2. (euphemistic) too much, busy.
3. (slang, of a person) dramatic, extra.

• “a lot”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• ATOL, Alto, Toal, alto, alto-, atlo-, lota, talo-, tola