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lot Definition

lot (lät)

noun

  1. an object used in deciding a matter by chance, a number of these being placed in a container and then drawn or cast out at random one by one
  2. the use of such an object or objects in determining a matter to choose men by lot
  3. the decision or choice arrived at by this means, regarded as the verdict of chance
  4. what a person receives as the result of such a decision; share
  5. one's portion in life; fortune her unhappy lot
  6. a plot of ground; specif.,
    1. ☆ a subdivision of a block in a town or city
    2. ☆ a parcel of land in a cemetery
    1. a number of persons or things regarded as a group
    2. a quantity of material processed or manufactured at the same time
  7. Informal a great number or amount a lot of cars, lots of money
  8. Informal sort (of person or persons) he's a bad lot
  9. Film a studio with the surrounding area belonging to it; specif., the area used for outdoor filming

Etymology: ME < OE hlot, akin to Ger los, Du lot, ON hlutr, Goth hlauts < IE base *klēu-, a hook, forked branch > close, L clavis, key

transitive verb lot·ted, lot·ting

  1. to divide into lots
  2. Rare to allot

intransitive verb

to draw or cast lots

lot Idioms

a (whole) lot

a great deal; very much: considered somewhat informal by some a lot happier, a whole lot nicer

cast in one's lot with

or throw in one's lot with

to take one's chances in association with; share the fortune of

draw lots

or cast lots

to decide an issue by using lots

the lot

Informal the whole of a quantity or number

Lot¹ Definition

Lot (lät)

noun

Bible Abraham's nephew, who, warned by two angels, fled from the doomed city of Sodom: his wife looked back to see the destruction and was turned into a pillar of salt: Gen. 19:1-26

Etymology: Heb Lōṭ

Lot² Definition

Lot (lō̂t)

river in S France, flowing west into the Garonne: c. 300 mi (483 km)

lot Synonyms

lot

n.

  1. A small parcel of land

    parcel, part, division, patch, clearing, piece of ground, plat, plot, field, tract, block, portion, allotment, apportionment, parking lot, piece, plottage, acreage; see also area 2, property 2.

  2. A number of individual items, usually alike

    number, quantity, group, batch, set, order, consignment, requisition; see also shipment.

  3. Destiny

    doom, portion, fate; see chance 1, destiny 1, doom 1. See syn. study at fate.

  4. *A great quantity

    large amount, abundance, amplitude, considerable amount, plenitude, great numbers, bundle, bunch, cluster, group, pack, batch, large numbers, much, many, ever so much, quantities, enough and to spare, quite a lot, quite a bit, quite a sum, a good deal, oodles and gobs*, a whole bunch*, loads*, heaps*, zillion*, gobs*, oodles*; see also plenty.

cast (<strong><em>or</em> </strong>throw) in one's lot with

associate with, share, unite; see join 1, 2.

draw (<strong><em>or</em> </strong>cast) lots

lot Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • fun: We have a lot of fun - genuinely, " he says.
  • money: You don't have to spend a lot of money to ensure elegance.
  • stuff: We have lots of stuff, most of which we don't need.
  • people: There's a lot of not very nice people around.
  • thing: There are lots of things I would like to have the time for.
  • time: Linux users tend to spend lots of time under Linux, they are a bit out of touch with the windows world.

Preposition: about

usability: He knows an awful lot about intranet usability and spends much of his time conducting accessibility evaluations of websites.

Converse of object

  • spend: Linux users tend to spend lots of time under Linux, they are a bit out of touch with the windows world.
  • learn: We can also learn a lot from these sites.
  • do: Or he could do a lot of damage beating someone over the head with a nearby small child.
  • have: You will have a lot of support on the day to help carry you round.
  • get: I get an awful lot of requests to add links to the main site.
  • put: I will make an effort to put a lot of new material on the collaborative website to support it.

Adjective modifier

  • awful: I get an awful lot of requests to add links to the main site.
  • whole: Got the feeling they had a whole lot more in reserve.
  • tremendous: So that is an earlier phase of my development; I learned a tremendous lot from Ernst Kris at the time.
  • lovely: Iâve been going to the Crawley Juggling Festival for well over ten years now and they really are a lovely lot.
  • next: The squealing will soon change Eve and the next lot of noises are not so high pitch.

Noun used with modifier

  • parking: In case you cant find a spot, Kew Gardens has a pay and display parking lot off of Kew Green.
  • acre: Aero Estates Airpark A fly-in community at Lake Palestine, Texas with 1/2 acre lots, 11 acres of.. .

Browse dictionary entries near lot

  1. lost-wax process
  2. lost tribes
  3. lost property
  4. Lost Pleiad
  5. lost motion
  6. lost cause
  7. lost
  8. lossy compression
  9. lossless compression
  10. losses
  1. lota
  2. loth
  3. Lothario
  4. Lothian
  5. loti
  6. lotic
  7. lotion
  8. lots
  9. lotte
  10. lottery