many

many — determiner

1. placed before a plural noun to say there is a big quantity of people or things.

1.determinerA1
Definition

placed before a plural noun to say there is a big quantity of people or things. This word shows up often in questions like 'how many…?', in negative sentences with 'not many', and joined with modifiers such as 'too,' 'so,' or 'as.'

Example

Not many people came to the meeting last night.

not many + plural noun in negative

How many books did Valentina read this summer?

how many + plural noun in question

Common collocations
  • too many
  • so many
  • how many
  • not many
  • as many as
Synonyms
  • numerous

    more formal than 'many'; used in written or academic English

  • countless

    emphasizes that the number is too large to count

  • a lot of

    common in everyday speech; works with both countable and uncountable nouns

Antonyms
  • few

    used with countable nouns to mean a small number

Grammar Patterns

many + plural noun

not many + plural noun

how many + plural noun + ?

too many + plural noun

so many + plural noun

as many + plural noun + as

Usage Note

In everyday affirmative statements, 'a lot of' or 'lots of' are more common than 'many' in informal English. 'Many' is preferred in formal writing and in negative and question forms.

Common Mistakes

I have many money.
I have a lot of money.
'many' is only used with countable plural nouns (things you can count one by one), not uncountable nouns like 'money.'

2. used with a singular noun and a singular verb to talk about a large number of pe

2.determinerB1
Definition

used with a singular noun and a singular verb to talk about a large number of people or things, where each one is thought of separately. This construction is more common in formal or literary English.

Example

Many a student has failed the university's rigorous entrance exam.

many a + singular noun + singular verb

Nellie has spent many a late night studying for her tests.

Common collocations
  • many a time
  • many a day
  • many a night
  • many a year
Synonyms
  • numerous

    more formal; 'many a' is a literary construction while 'numerous' works in standard formal prose

Grammar Patterns

many a + singular noun + singular verb

Usage Note

The verb after 'many a + singular noun' is always singular, even though the meaning is plural. This is a fixed grammatical pattern that does not follow normal subject-verb agreement rules.

Common Mistakes

Many a students have failed.
Many a student has failed.
after 'many a,' use a singular noun and a singular verb.
Idioms

as many as…

idiom

Used to emphasize that a number is surprisingly large.

As many as 500 students attended the concert last night.

Did you know that as many as 30 people applied for the job?

have had one too many

idiom

To be slightly drunk after drinking too much alcohol.

After the party, Tom had clearly had one too many.

She admitted she had had one too many and couldn't drive.

many’s the…

idiom

Used to say that something happens frequently.

Many's the night we stayed up talking until dawn.

Many's the time I've wished I had studied harder.

many — pronoun

many — adjective

many — noun

Word family

  • manifold
    adjectiveC1
  • manifold
    adverbC2
  • manifoldly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: determiner/1

'Many' is the most neutral and widely used word for a large countable quantity, especially in negatives and questions. 'Numerous' is more formal and suits academic or written contexts — you might say 'numerous studies have shown' but not '*there were numerous people at the party' in casual speech. 'A lot of' works in all registers and with both countable and uncountable nouns ('a lot of water / a lot of books'), making it the go-to choice in everyday conversation. 'Several' implies a smaller, more specific quantity (typically three to five) and should not replace 'many' for large numbers. 'Plenty of' suggests a sufficient or more-than-sufficient amount: 'We have plenty of chairs for everyone' implies that the number is enough, not just large. In affirmative sentences, 'a lot of' is much more natural than 'many' in spoken English ('There are a lot of people here' sounds better than 'There are many people here').

many ↗numerous ↗a lot ofseveral ↗plenty of

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'many' comes from Old English 'manig' (pronounced MAH-nig), which meant 'much, many, numerous.' This word was related to similar words in other ancient Germanic languages: Old High German 'manag,' Old Saxon 'manag,' and Gothic 'manags.' All of these trace back further to a Proto-Indo-European root *monogʰo-, meaning 'many, much.' Over time, the Old English 'manig' gradually shifted in pronunciation and spelling to become the modern English 'many.' The older form survives in the word 'manifold' (many + fold), as well as in the name of the Germanic tribe 'Alamanni' (meaning 'all men' or 'all people').