many

many
man|y
W1S1 [ˈmeni] determiner, pron, adj
[: Old English; Origin: manig]
1.) a large number of people or things
≠ ↑few
→↑more, most ↑most, much ↑much
Many people have to use a car to travel to work.
I don't have many friends.
My mother has lived in Spain for many years.
Do you get many visitors?
Some of the houses have bathrooms but many do not.
His third novel is regarded by many (=a lot of people) as his best.
many of
Many of our staff work part-time.
There are plenty of cafes and bars, many of them serving excellent food.
There are so many things we disagree about.
Not many (=only a few) people can afford my services.
You've been reading too many romantic novels (=more than you should) .
One job loss is one too many (=one more than is acceptable, needed etc) .
the many people/things etc
We should like to thank the many people who have written to us offering their support.
many hundreds/thousands/millions
military equipment worth many millions of dollars
a great many/a good many/very many
(=a very large number)
Most of the young men went off to the war, and a great many never came back.
It all happened a good many years ago.
2.) how many
used to ask or talk about how large a number or quantity is
How many sisters do you have?
I didn't know how many tickets to buy.
3.) as many
a number that is equal to another number
They say the people of Los Angeles speak 12 languages and teach just as many in the schools.
as many (...) as
Grandfather claimed to have as many medals as the general.
There weren't as many people at the meeting as we had hoped.
in as many days/weeks/games etc
A great trip! We visited five countries in as many days (=in five days) .
twice/three times etc as many
The company now employs four times as many women as men.
4.) as many as 50/1000 etc
used to emphasize how surprisingly large a number is
As many as 10,000 civilians are thought to have fled the area.
5.) many a sth
formal or
old-fashioned a large number of people or things
Many a parent has had to go through this same painful process.
I've sat here many a time (=often) and wondered what happened to her.
6.) many's the time/day etc (that/when)
old-fashioned used to say that a particular thing has happened often
Many's the time we've had to borrow money in order to get through the month.
7.) have had one too many informal
to be drunk
Don't pay any attention to him - he's had one too many.
8.) many thanks
written used especially in formal letters to thank someone for something
many thanks for
Many thanks for your letter of 17 March.
9.) the many
formal a very large group of people, especially the public in general
This war is another example of the few sacrificing their lives for the many.
in as many words atword1
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GRAMMAR
Many is used mainly in questions and negative sentences : Were there many people at the party? | There weren't many people at the party.
In other sentences, phrases like a lot of and plenty of are used instead : Slovakia has a lot of small towns (NOT Slovakia has many small towns).
However, many can be used in formal English : Many politicians expressed concern about the high level of defence spending.
Many can also be used after too , so , and as : There are too many mistakes in this work. | I didn't realize I had so many friends. | Bring as many people as you want.
!! Do not use 'and' after many and before an adjective : There are not many interesting Sunday newspapers (NOT There are not many and interesting Sunday newspapers).
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Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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  • 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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