lot

lot¹ W1S1 [lɔt US la:t] pron, adv

1.) a lot also lots informal

a large amount or number

▪ We've spent a lot on the children's education.

▪ 'How many CDs have you got?' 'Lots.'

a lot of

▪ They paid a lot of money for that house.

▪ I eat a lot of vegetables.

▪ There were lots of people at the party.

an awful lot also a whole lot informal (=a very large amount or number)

▪ He spends an awful lot of time on the computer.

a lot to do/learn/say etc

▪ I still have a lot to learn.

▪ It's a great city, with lots to see and do.

2.) a lot also lots informal

if someone or something is a lot better, faster, easier etc, they are much better, faster etc

= ↑much

▪ My headache's lots better, thanks.

▪ She has a lot more contact with clients these days.

▪ You'll get there a lot quicker if you take the motorway.

▪ The house is a lot tidier now Chris has left home.

3.) a lot

used to say that something happens to a great degree or often

▪ Things have changed a lot since I was a child.

▪ Paul travels a lot on business.

▪ I've been worrying a lot about my health.

▪ She likes you a lot.

4.) have a lot on your plate informal

to have a large number of problems to deal with or a large amount of work to do

5.) have a lot on your mind

to have a lot of problems that you are worried about

▪ 'You're quiet today.' 'I've got a lot on my mind.'

6.) have a lot on

BrE to be very busy, with a large number of things to do in a short time

▪ I can't help you now - I've got rather a lot on.

→thanks a lot at ↑thanks¹ (1)

→a fat lot of good/use at ↑fat¹ (5)

→have a lot to answer for at answer for(2)

lot ²

lot² n

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(group of people/things)¦

2 the lot

3¦(somebody's situation)¦

4¦(land)¦

5¦(film)¦

6¦(thing to be sold)¦

7¦(choosing)¦

8 throw in/cast your lot with somebody/something

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[: Old English; Origin: hlot 'object used for making a choice by chance']

1.) ¦(GROUP OF PEOPLE/THINGS)¦

a group of people or things considered together

▪ Could you help me carry this lot upstairs?

lot of

▪ The last lot of people offered £70,000.

▪ I did three lots of exams last summer.

▪ Come on, you lot, hurry up!

▪ His friends are a strange lot.

2.) the lot

especially BrE the whole of an amount or number of things, people etc

▪ We'll do everything - cooking, washing, ironing - the lot.

▪ I can't believe you ate the whole lot .

▪ I think that's the lot (=everything is included) .

the lot of you/them/us

(=all of you, them, or us)

▪ Shut up, the lot of you!

3.) ¦(SOMEBODY'S SITUATION)¦ [singular]

your lot is your work, duties, social position etc, especially when they could be better

▪ She seems happy enough with her lot.

▪ The unions have always tried to improve the lot of their members.

4.) ¦(LAND)¦ especially AmE an area of land used for building on or for another purpose

▪ the vacant lot (=empty land) behind the Commercial Hotel

▪ a used-car lot

→↑parking lot

5.) ¦(FILM)¦

a building and the land surrounding it where films are made

= ↑studio

▪ the Universal Studios lot

6.) ¦(THING TO BE SOLD)¦

something, or a group of things, that is sold at an ↑auction

▪ Lot 54 is a Victorian lamp.

7.) ¦(CHOOSING)¦

a) by lot

if someone is chosen by lot, several people each take a piece of paper or an object from a container, and the person who is chosen is the one who gets a particular marked paper or object

▪ In Athens at that time, judges were chosen by lot .

b) draw/cast lots

to choose something or someone by lot

▪ We drew lots to decide who should go first.

8.) throw in/cast your lot with sb/sth

to join or support someone or something, and accept that what happens to them will affect what happens to you

▪ In 1915 Italy threw in her lot with the allies.

→bad lot at ↑bad¹ (21)

→a job lot at ↑job