most

1 of 6

adjective

1
: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree
the most ability
2
: the majority of
most people

most

2 of 6

adverb (1)

1
: to the greatest or highest degree
often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative
the most challenging job he ever had
2
: to a very great degree
was most persuasive

most

3 of 6

noun

: the greatest amount
it's the most I can do

most

4 of 6

pronoun

singular or plural in construction
: the greatest number or part
most become discouraged and quit

most

5 of 6

adverb (2)

: almost
we'll be crossing the river most any time nowHamilton Basso
Can most be used in place of almost?: Usage Guide

Although considered by some to be unacceptable in all cases, most is often used to mean "almost" in both spoken and, to a lesser extent, written English to modify the adjectives all, every, and any; the pronouns all, everyone, everything, everybody, anyone, anything, and anybody; and the adverbs everywhere, anywhere, and always. Other uses of this sense of most are dialectal.

-most

6 of 6

adjective suffix

: most
innermost
: most toward
headmost
Phrases
at most or at the most
: as an extreme limit
took him an hour at most

Examples of most in a Sentence

Adjective Choosing a color took the most time. That family owned the most land. Unfortunately the negative aspects of our schools get the most attention. Noun this room will accommodate 50 people at the most
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Advice columnist Carolyn Hax takes your comments and questions most Fridays about life, family, relationships and more. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024 The one that makes most people uncomfortable to hear but more so to be called it: fat. Andrea Kane, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 That olive branch isn’t being accepted by most employers though, who have stepped up their anti-remote work rhetoric in recent months, with some trying to force staffers back to the office full-time. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 Mar. 2024 Like most other workplaces, Kernel employees have a quirky, larger-than-life coworker: a six-axis robot arm that can reach over 3 feet and lift over 11 pounds at the wrist. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 But before the pandemic, most of the debauchery was saved for afterward in the hot tub. Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 The district buses about 44,000 students of color and most are missing an average of 14 minutes of instruction each day. Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024 But most other details of the Medialink investment — notably its value or — were not immediately disclosed. Patrick Frater, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 At Secret Bakery, and most bakeries, ingredients are measured by weight. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Adjust the headband to find your most comfortable fit. Tim Chan, Variety, 23 Mar. 2024 The 16th hole had nearly seven times more calls for service than the next most problematic location on the course. Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2024 The rate of people who die from cancer dropped 33% from 1991 through 2021, according to the organization’s most recent statistics. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024 While the United States has pioneered breakthroughs in A.I., most recently with the uncanny humanlike abilities of chatbots, a significant portion of that work was done by researchers educated in China. Cade Metz, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Beyond finances, one of Boom’s most significant challenges might be right there in its name. Tim Stevens, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024 One of Gotham's most ruthless villains is getting his time to shine. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024 Selecting a film about blondes having more fun—and featuring one of Hollywood history’s most beloved musical numbers—was a brilliant choice. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 The royal family has a long history of history of alleged retouching, including rumors that William and Kate's most recent Christmas photo had been digitally altered. Brian Barrett, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'most.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb (1), Noun, and Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English mǣst; akin to Old High German meist most, Old English māra more — more at more

Adverb (2)

by shortening

Adjective suffix

Middle English, alteration of -mest (as in formest foremost)

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Pronoun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb (2)

circa 1538, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of most was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near most

Cite this Entry

“Most.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

most

1 of 5 adjective
1
: the majority of
most people believe this
2
: greatest in amount or extent
the most ability

most

2 of 5 adverb
1
: to the greatest or highest level or extent
often used with an adjective or adverb to form the superlative
most active
most actively
2
: to a very great extent
a most careful driver

most

3 of 5 noun
: the greatest amount, number, or part

most

4 of 5 adverb
: almost
the cost of most everything is higher

-most

5 of 5 adjective suffix
ˌmōst
: most
innermost
Etymology

Adjective suffix

Middle English -most "most"

More from Merriam-Webster on most

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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