an awful lot
phrase
informal
1
: a large amount
They lost an awful lot of money.
She does an awful lot of talking.
2
: very much
I like him an awful lot.
Examples of an awful lot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The commentary on American ideals is compelling, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian, but there is an awful lot to take in.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
2 July 2026
That’s what the checklist calls for, at least, but there are an awful lot of steps that have to go just-so for the mission to work as planned.
—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for an awful lot
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
2 July 2026
That’s what the checklist calls for, at least, but there are an awful lot of steps that have to go just-so for the mission to work as planned.
—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for an awful lot
Cite this Entry
“An awful lot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/an%20awful%20lot. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
