too

too

W1S1 [tu:] adv

[: Old English; Origin: to 'to, too']

1.) [+ adjective/adverb]

more than is acceptable or possible

▪ Do you think the music's too loud?

▪ You've put too much salt in the soup.

▪ There are too many cars on the road.

much/far too

▪ Amanda is far too young to get married.

too ... for sth/sb

▪ I was getting too old for romantic relationships.

▪ My boots were three sizes too big for me.

too ... to do sth

▪ He was too ill to travel.

too ... for sb to do sth

▪ The box was too heavy for me to lift.

2.) used at the end of a sentence or ↑clause to mean 'also'

▪ There were people from all over Europe, and America too.

▪ Can I come too?

▪ 'I'm feeling hungry.' 'Me too.'

▪ It's a more efficient system and it's cheaper too.

see usage note ↑also

3.) [+ adjective/adverb] spoken

used with a negative to mean 'not very'

▪ She doesn't seem too upset about it.

▪ 'What was the weather like?' 'Oh, not too bad.'

▪ She was none too pleased (=not at all pleased) when I told her.

4.) all too/only too

used to emphasize that a particular situation exists when you wish it did not exist

▪ Beggars are becoming an all too familiar sight in our cities.

▪ I regret to say that these rumours are only too true.

5.) used to emphasize a remark that you are adding

▪ 'He's been banned from driving.' 'A good thing too!'

▪ 'A woman farmer?' asked Gabriel. 'Yes, and a rich one too.'

6.) I am/he is/you are etc too!

informal especially AmE used to emphasize that you disagree with what someone has said about someone or something

▪ 'You're not smart enough to use a computer.' 'I am too!'

7.) be too much for sb

used to say that something is so difficult, tiring, upsetting etc that someone cannot do it or bear it

▪ Working full-time was too much for her.

▪ The shock was too much for him.

8.) [+ adjective/adverb] spoken formal very

▪ Thank you. You are too kind.

9.) be only too glad/pleased to do sth

to be very willing to do something

▪ I'd be only too pleased to assist you.

10.) too little, too late

used to complain that not enough is being done to solve a problem and that the action did not start early enough

▪ Doctors have criticized the government's response to the crisis as too little, too late.