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
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.
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 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

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“An awful lot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/an%20awful%20lot. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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