(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ of something or ~s of it is a large amount of it. A ~ of people or things, or ~s of them, is a large number of them.
A ~ of our land is used to grow crops for export...
I remember a ~ of things...
‘You’ll find that everybody will try and help their colleague.’—‘Yeah. There’s a ~ of that.’...
He drank ~s of milk...
A ~ of the play is very funny.
QUANT: QUANT of n
•
Lot is also a pronoun.
There’s ~s going on at Selfridges this month...
I learned a ~ from him about how to run a band...
I know a ~ has been said about my sister’s role in my career.
PRON
2.
A ~ means to a great extent or degree.
Matthew’s out quite a ~ doing his research...
I like you, a ~...
If I went out and accepted a job at a ~ less money, I’d jeopardize a good career.
ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV compar
3.
If you do something a ~, you do it often or for a long time.
They went out a ~, to the Cafe Royal or the The Ivy...
He talks a ~ about his own children.
ADV: ADV after v
4.
You can use ~ to refer to a set or group of things or people.
He bought two ~s of 1,000 shares in the company during August and September...
We’ve just sacked one ~ of builders.
N-COUNT: num N, oft N of n
5.
You can refer to a specific group of people as a particular ~. (INFORMAL)
Future generations are going to think that we were a pretty boring ~.
= bunch
N-SING: adj N
6.
You can use the ~ to refer to the whole of an amount that you have just mentioned. (INFORMAL)
Instead of using the money to pay his rent, he went to a betting shop and lost the ~ in half an hour.
N-SING: the N
7.
Your ~ is the kind of life you have or the things that you have or experience.
She tried to accept her marriage as her ~ in life but could not...
N-SING: usu with poss
8.
A ~ is a small area of land that belongs to a person or company. (AM)
If oil or gold are discovered under your ~, you can sell the mineral rights.
N-COUNT
see also parking ~
9.
A ~ in an auction is one of the objects or groups of objects that are being sold.
The receivers are keen to sell the stores as one ~...
N-COUNT
10.
If people draw ~s to decide who will do something, they each take a piece of paper from a container. One or more pieces of paper is marked, and the people who take marked pieces are chosen.
For the first time in a World Cup finals, ~s had to be drawn to decide who would finish second and third.
PHRASE: V inflects
11.
If you throw in your ~ with a particular person or group, you decide to work with them and support them from then on, whatever happens.
He has decided to throw in his ~ with the far-right groups in parliament.
= join forces with
PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n