[too] 
| 1. | in addition; also; furthermore; moreover: young, clever, and rich too. |
| 2. | to an excessive extent or degree; beyond what is desirable, fitting, or right: too sick to travel. |
| 3. | more, as specified, than should be: too near the fire. |
| 4. | (used as an affirmative to contradict a negative statement): I am too! |
| 5. | extremely; very: She wasn't too pleased with his behavior. |
| 6. | only too. only (def. 10). |
| too (tōō) adv.
[Middle English to, from Old English tō, to, furthermore; see de- in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: Some language critics have objected to the use of not too as an equivalent of not very, as in She was not too pleased with the results. In many contexts this construction is entirely idiomatic and should pass without notice: It wasn't too long ago that deregulation was being hailed as the savior of the savings and loan industry. It was not too bright of them to build in an area where rock slides occur. In these cases not too adds a note of ironic understatement. · Negation of too by can't may sometimes lead to ambiguities, as in You can't check your child's temperature too often, which may mean either that the temperature should be checked only occasionally or that it should be checked as frequently as possible. · Too meaning "in addition" or "also" is sometimes used to introduce a sentence: There has been a cutback in federal subsidies. Too, rates have been increasing. There is nothing grammatically wrong with this usage, but some critics consider it awkward. |
too
In addition to the idioms beginning with too, also see carry too far; (too) close to home; eat one's cake and have it, too; go too far; irons in the fire, too many; life is too short; none too; not (too) bad; only too; speak too soon; spread oneself too thin; take on (too much);.
