most
in the greatest quantity, amount, measure, degree, or number: to win the most votes.
in the majority of instances: Most operations are successful.
greatest, as in size or extent: the most talent.
the greatest quantity, amount, or degree; the utmost: The most I can hope for is a passing grade.
the greatest number or the majority of a class specified: Most of his writing is rubbish.
the greatest number: The most this room will seat is 150.
the majority of persons: to be more sensitive than most.
the most, Slang. the ultimate in something: He's the most. That movie was the most.
in or to the greatest extent or degree (in this sense often used before adjectives and adverbs, and regularly before those of more than two syllables, to form superlative phrases having the same force and effect as the superlative degree formed by the termination -est): most rapid; most wisely.
Informal. almost or nearly.
Idioms about most
at the most, at the maximum.: Also at most.
for the most part. part (def. 34).
make the most of, to use to greatest advantage; utilize fully: to make the most of an opportunity.
Origin of most
1synonym study For most
usage note For most
Words that may be confused with most
- almost, most
Words Nearby most
Other definitions for -most (2 of 2)
a combining form of most occurring in a series of superlatives: foremost; utmost.
Origin of -most
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use most in a sentence
Turkey has had more than a decade of economic boom, and is now the sixth-most-visited tourist destination in the world.
Since then, Abilify has risen from the fifth-most-prescribed drug to the top of the heap.
Mother’s Little Anti-Psychotic Is Worth $6.9 Billion A Year | Jay Michaelson | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Daughter” was the second-most Googled search term for the Louisiana race, the Washington Examiner reported.
Mary Landrieu-Bill Cassidy Louisiana Senate Race Heads to a Runoff | Tim Mak | November 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe most-intact section of this image is the dark, bowl-shaped object.
Clues From SpaceShipTwo’s Wreckage: Did the Crew Compartment Fail? | Clive Irving | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe most recent numbers place it as the seventh-most unequal among 35 OECD states.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality | Noah Caldwell | September 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He had been down into the bottom-most pit of hell, and the sights that he had seen there had withered him up.
Love's Pilgrimage | Upton SinclairThe top-most bud waits only through the twelve hours of a single day to open.
The College, the Market, and the Court | Caroline H. DallHer father had no son living, therefore she was an only child, and the most-sought-after of any maiden in that band.
Red Hunters And the Animal People | Charles A. EastmanThe noblest and most-varied scenery in the north-west Himalaya is in the catchment area of the Jhelam.
The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir | Sir James McCrone DouieThe birds were filling the top-most branches, a gathering of the clans, evidently, for the day's start.
Roof and Meadow | Dallas Lore Sharp
British Dictionary definitions for most (1 of 2)
/ (məʊst) /
a great majority of; nearly all: most people like eggs
(as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural): most of them don't know; most of it is finished
the most
(as pronoun): the most he can afford is two pounds
at most or at the most at the maximum: that girl is four at the most
for the most part generally
make the most of to use to the best advantage: she makes the most of her accent
than most than most others: the leaves are greener than most
the most slang, mainly US wonderful: that chick's the most
the most used to form the superlative of some adjectives and adverbs: the most beautiful daughter of all
the superlative of much people welcome a drink most after work
(intensifier): a most absurd story
US and Canadian informal, or dialect almost: most every town in this state; John is the more intelligent of the two; he is the most intelligent of the students
Origin of most
1usage For most
British Dictionary definitions for -most (2 of 2)
forming the superlative degree of some adjectives and adverbs: hindmost; uppermost
Origin of -most
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with most
see at most; for the most part; make the most of.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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