many

many
[[t]me̱ni[/t]]
♦
1) DET: DET pl-n, oft with brd-neg You use many to indicate that you are talking about a large number of people or things.

I don't think many people would argue with that...

Not many films are made in Finland...

Do you keep many books and papers and memorabilia?...

Many holidaymakers had avoided the worst of the delays by consulting tourist offices...

Acting is definitely a young person's profession in many ways.

Syn:
a lot of
Ant:
PRON
Many is also a pronoun.

We stood up, thinking through the possibilities. There weren't many.

QUANT: QUANT of def-pl-n
Many is also a quantifier.

So, once we have cohabited, why do many of us feel the need to get married?... It seems there are not very many of them left in the sea... In many of these neighborhoods a lot of people don't have telephones.

ADJ-GRADED: det ADJ, v-link ADJ
Many is also an adjective.

Among his many hobbies was the breeding of fine horses... The possibilities are many.

2) ADV-GRADED: ADV as reply You use many in expressions such as `not many', `not very many', and `too many' when replying to questions about numbers of things or people.

`How many of the songs that dealt with this theme became hit songs?' - `Not very many.'...

How many years is it since we've seen each other? Too many, anyway.

3) PREDET (emphasis) You use many followed by `a' and a noun to emphasize that there are a lot of people or things involved in something.

Many a mother tries to act out her unrealized dreams through her daughter...

I have spent many a morning with my wife gathering mussels along the rocky beaches of Little Compton.

4) DET: how DET pl-n You use many after `how' to ask questions about numbers or quantities. You use many after `how' in reported clauses to talk about numbers or quantities.

How many years have you been here?...

No-one knows how many people have been killed since the war began.

PRON: how PRON
Many is also a pronoun.

How many do you smoke a day?

5) DET: as DET pl-n, usu as DET pl-n as cl/group You use many with `as' when you are comparing numbers of things or people.

I've always entered as many photo competitions as I can...

We produced ten times as many tractors as the United States.

PRON: as PRON
Many is also a pronoun.

Let the child try on as many as she likes.

6) PRON You use many to mean `many people'.

Not many expected Ferdinand to be such a success this season...

Iris Murdoch was regarded by many as a supremely good and serious writer.

7) PRON: the PRON The many means a large group of people, especially the ordinary people in society, considered as separate from a particular small group.

The printing press gave power to a few to change the world for the many...

He wanted to create a society of opportunity where benefits became available to the many.

8) PHRASE: PHR num (emphasis) You use as many as before a number to suggest that it is surprisingly large.

New York City police say that as many as four and a half million people watched today's parade.

9) PHRASE: PHR pl-n (emphasis) You use a good many or a great many to emphasize that you are referring to a large number of things or people.

We've both had a good many beers...

For a great many men and women, romance can be a most important part of marriage.

10) many happy returns → see return
in so many words → see word

English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
, , , , , , / , , , , , /


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Many — Ma ny, a. & pron. Note: [It has no variation to express degrees of comparison; more and most, which are used for the comparative and superlative degrees, are from a different root.] [OE. mani, moni, AS. manig, m[ae]nig, monig; akin to D. menig,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Many a — Many Ma ny, a. & pron. Note: [It has no variation to express degrees of comparison; more and most, which are used for the comparative and superlative degrees, are from a different root.] [OE. mani, moni, AS. manig, m[ae]nig, monig; akin to D.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • many — [men′ē] adj. more, most [ME < OE manig, akin to Ger manch (OHG manag) < IE base * menegh , many, richly > Sans maghā , gift, OIr menicc, abundant] 1. consisting of some large, indefinite number (of persons or things); numerous 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • many a/an — formal + literary used with a singular noun to refer to a large number of things or people It remained a mystery for many a year. [=for many years] I ve been there many a time. [=many times] Many a tale was told. [=many tales were told] Man …   Useful english dictionary

  • Many — Ma ny, n. [AS. menigeo, menigo, menio, multitude; akin to G. menge, OHG. manag[=i], menig[=i], Goth. managei. See {Many}, a.] 1. The populace; the common people; the majority of people, or of a community. [1913 Webster] After him the rascal many… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • many — many, several, sundry, various, divers, numerous, multifarious mean consisting of a large number or comprising a large group. Many implies a likeness between the individuals or units in class, category, kind, or sort; except that it vaguely… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Many — may refer to: plural A quantifier that can be used with count nouns often preceded by as or too or so or that ; amounting to a large but indefinite number; many temptations ; a good many ; many directions ; more than a few, more than several… …   Wikipedia

  • Many — Many …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mány — Administration …   Wikipédia en Français

  • many — 1. Many, like much, tends to sound more formal in positive contexts (They have many friends) than in negative ones (They do not have many friends). In conversation and less formal written English, a lot of (or, even more informally, lots of) is… …   Modern English usage

  • Mány — Mány …   Wikipedia

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