Definition of MANY

many

Plural: manies

Adjective

  • Consisting of or amounting to a large number of items.
  • a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `as' or `too' or `so' or `that'; amounting to a large but indefinite number
    • "many temptations"
    • "the temptations are many"
    • "a good many"
    • "a great many"
    • "many directions"
    • "take as many apples as you like"
    • "too many clouds to see"
    • "never saw so many people"

Det

  • before a countable noun: A large, indefinite number of.
  • before a countable noun: (in combinations such as 'as many', 'so many', 'this many') Used to indicate, demonstrate or compare the number of people or things.

Pron

  • A large, indefinite number of people or things.

Noun

  • A multitude; a great aggregate; a mass of people; the generality; the common herd.
  • A considerable number.

Adj

  • Existing in large number; numerous.

Examples

  • Democracy must balance the rights of the few against the will of the many.
  • Despite having MANY high-scoring tiles, she couldn’t form a single word.
  • I don't have as many friends as my sister does.
  • Many are called, but few are chosen.
  • Not many such people enjoyed playing chess.
  • There are very many different ways to cook a meal.
  • There may be as many as ten million species of insect.
  • We don't need this many bananas. Put some back.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English many, mani, moni, from Old English maniġ, moniġ, maneġ (“many”), from Proto-West Germanic *manag, from Proto-Germanic *managaz (“some, much, many”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots mony (“many”), North Frisian manag, manig, mäning (“many”), Saterland Frisian monig, moonich (“many”), West Frisian mannich, mennich (“some, many”), Dutch menig (“many”), Low German männig (“many”), German manch, mannig- (“many, some”), Old Norse mangr, Norwegian mang, Swedish mången, Danish mangen, French maint (“many”), Russian мно́гий (mnógij), Serbo-Croatian and Polish mnogi, Czech mnohý, Scottish Gaelic minig
The noun is from Middle English manye, *menye, from Old English manigeo, menigu (“company, multitude, host”), from Proto-West Germanic *managu, *managī, from Proto-Germanic *managō, *managį̄ (“multitude”), from the same root as the determiner. Cognate with Middle Low German menige, menie, menje (“multitude”), Russian много (mnogo), Serbo-Croatian mnogo.

Synonyms

a lot of, abundance, arseload, assload, bellyload, boatload, brimful, bucketful, bucketload, bumload, busload, butt-ton, buttload, canaille, cartload, commonality, commonalty, crapload, crowd, deal, demos, everyone, fuckload, fuckton, fuckwad, general public, great deal, great unhosed, great unwashed, hantle, heap, hecatomb, helluvalot, herd, hoi polloi, horseload, lashings, load, lot, lower class, mampus, manifold, many, mass, masses, metric fuckton, metric shitload, mickle, mob, mountain, muckle, multiple, multiplicity, multitude, numerous#Determiner, odds and sods, peasantry, pile, plebs, populace, proletariat, rabble, rank and file, ream, riffraff, several, shedload, shitful, shitload, shitton, slew, sum, superflux, third estate, ton, trainload, trash, truckload, tun, unwashed, unwashed masses, vaultful, wagonload, working class

Antonyms

few, ;, a couple of, a few#Determiner, a handful of, no#Determiner, one#Determiner, several#Determiner, zero#Determiner

Scrabble Score: 9

many: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
many: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
many: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

many: valid Words With Friends Word