many

1 of 3

adjective

more ˈmȯr How to pronounce many (audio) ; most ˈmōst How to pronounce many (audio)
1
: consisting of or amounting to a large but indefinite number
worked for many years
the many advantages of an education
2
: being one of a large but indefinite number
many a man
many another student

many

2 of 3

pronoun

plural in construction
: a large number of persons or things
many are called

many

3 of 3

noun

plural in construction
1
: a large but indefinite number
a good many of them
2
: the great majority of people
the many
Phrases
as many
: the same in number
saw three plays in as many days

Examples of many in a Sentence

Adjective a journey of many miles begins with a single step
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Too many Americans are in the dark about Trump’s plans and, unless things change in the way the press reports on both Trump and Joe Biden, the nation could sleepwalk into fascism without ever waking up. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 His fiery State of the Union address should have eased many viewers’ concerns. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Supporting and upgrading the village infrastructure Walz said that in the last year the village fixed twice as many roads. Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 But many of the songwriters in the genre see it as just another form of storytelling. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 But now she’s shaken off far too many of the vital elements that make her novels boil and steam. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Over the following days, Benioff texts me constantly, often many times a day. Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 The 76-year-old was still beloved by many of his former costars, who shared reminisces and fond tributes of their time working with Lewis. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024 For many of them, Feb. 29 is a day to pull out the stops. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
New York Times Reporter Taylor Lorenz was one of many who shared the viral videos on the platform. Danielle Garrand, CBS News, 4 June 2020 The investigation is just one of many led by House Democrats since taking the majority in the 2018 elections. Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2019 Brazil's humiliation was complete when the home crowd - many of whom had been reduced to bitter tears in the first half hour - started cheering every German pass. SI.com, 13 June 2018 An outspoken critic of the president, Dent has been someone the press corps relied on to publicly say what many of his colleagues were privately thinking. Amber Phillips, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2018 Silverstein is one of many who shared the TV writer Google doc Tuesday. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2018 Last April many voiced their frustration at a county commission meeting. CBS News, 19 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'many.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Pronoun, and Noun

Middle English, from Old English manig; akin to Old High German manag many, Old Church Slavonic mŭnogŭ much

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of many was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near many

Cite this Entry

“Many.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/many. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

many

1 of 3 adjective
more ˈmō(ə)r How to pronounce many (audio)
ˈmȯ(ə)r
; most ˈmōst How to pronounce many (audio)
1
: amounting to a large number
worked for many years
2
: being one of a large but indefinite number
told many a tale

many

2 of 3 pronoun
: a large number
many of the students were late

many

3 of 3 noun
: a large but indefinite number
a good many of them

More from Merriam-Webster on many

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