a lot of

a lot

A large amount, extent, or degree of something. Also written in the plural form, "lots." I have a lot of respect for my father, who worked hard every day to give us the things we wanted. It was lots of fun hanging out last night.See also: lot

a lot of

A large number or amount of (people or things). There are still a lot of issues plaguing the operating system that we need to figure out before it's released next month. We did a lot of promotion for our show, but not a lot of people showed up.See also: lot, of

lot of someone or something

 and lots of people or thingsa large number of people or things; much of something. I got a lot of presents for my birthday. I ate lots of cookies after dinner.See also: lot, of

a lot

Very many, a large number; also, very much. For example, A lot of people think the economy is declining, or Sad movies always made her cry a lot. It is sometimes put as a whole lot for greater emphasis, as in I learned a whole lot in his class. It may also emphasize a comparative indication of amount, as in We need a whole lot more pizza to feed everyone, or Mary had a lot less nerve than I expected. [Colloquial; early 1800s] See also: lot