lot
gb/lˈɑt/ us/lˈɑt/
A1
English
~ 300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
quantity
1
a large amount or number
A large number or amount of something.
Usage pattern:
a lot of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'a lot' (two words) with 'alot', which is incorrect.
Synonyms
plenty (Suggests more than enough, often with a positive connotation.)
Antonyms
little (Refers to a small amount, opposite in quantity.)
Collocations
a lot of people
|a lot of time
|a lot of money
|a lot of work
Themes
daily life
|measurement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She has a lot of friends in the city.
- There's a lot of traffic this morning.
- We spent a lot of money on the wedding.
- He has a lot of experience in marketing.
Learner examples
- I have a lot of books.
- There are a lot of cars on the road.
- She drinks a lot of water every day.
- We have a lot of homework today.
Noun
B1
entity
2
a piece of land
A small area of land, usually for building a house or other structure.
Usage pattern:
[a/some] lot
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'lot' meaning 'land' with 'lot' meaning 'many'. Context determines meaning.
Synonyms
plot (Often used for smaller pieces of land, especially for gardening or building.)
Antonyms
wilderness (Refers to undeveloped land far from human settlement.)
Collocations
vacant lot
|parking lot
|building lot
Themes
real estate
|geography
|housing
Examples
- They bought a lot near the lake to build their cabin.
- The parking lot was full by 9 a.m.
- A new shopping center will be built on this vacant lot.
Learner examples
- We parked the car in the parking lot.
- He owns a lot by the river.
- This empty lot will be a park soon.
Noun
B1
quantity
3
the whole group or set
All the people or things being talked about.
Usage pattern:
the whole lot
Synonyms
group (General term for a collection, without implying entirety.)
Antonyms
individual (Refers to one single person or thing from a group.)
Collocations
the whole lot
|sell the lot
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I don't like this lot of politicians.
- The whole lot was sold at auction.
- She threw the whole lot in the trash.
Learner examples
- I don't trust that lot.
- He sold the whole lot yesterday.
- She gave the whole lot to charity.
Noun
B2
state
4
someone's fate or condition in life
The kind of life someone has, especially how good or bad it is.
Synonyms
fate (More literary and abstract; emphasizes inevitability.)
Antonyms
choice (Implies control over one's circumstances rather than acceptance.)
Collocations
lot in life
Themes
life
|philosophy
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She accepted her lot in life without complaint.
- His poor health was part of his unfortunate lot.
- They tried to improve their lot through education.
Learner examples
- She is happy with her lot in life.
- His lot is not easy.
- They want to change their lot.
Noun
B2
entity
5
an item or set for sale at auction
Something sold as one unit at an auction or sale.
Synonyms
batch (Refers to a group produced or handled together, not just at auctions.)
Antonyms
single item (Refers to one object sold separately rather than as part of a group.)
Collocations
auction lot
Themes
commerce
|business
|finance
Examples
- Lot 23 includes three antique chairs.
- The painting was sold as part of Lot 15.
- Each lot will be displayed before bidding begins.
Learner examples
- Lot 5 is two old books.
- They bought Lot 10 at the auction.
- Lot 7 is a set of dishes.
Grammar
Expressions
cast lots
1/kˈæst lˈɑts/
idiom
literary
decide by random tokens (literary)
To decide something by picking randomly from marked objects. More formal and old-fashioned than 'draw lots'.
Examples
- In ancient times, people cast lots to make decisions.
- They cast lots to determine the leader.
draw lots
1/dɹˈɔ lˈɑts/
idiom
decide randomly by marked items
To choose who will do something by picking from items with different marks, like straws or slips of paper.
Examples
- We drew lots to see who would go first.
- They drew lots to decide who would get the last ticket.
lots of
1/lˈɑts əv/
fixed phrase
informal
many or much (informal)
Many people or things, or much of something. Informal form of 'a lot of'.
Examples
- There were lots of people at the party.
- He has lots of homework tonight.
a lot of
1/ə lˈɑt əv/
fixed phrase
Large amount or number of something
Many or much of something.
Examples
- There are a lot of people here today.
- We have a lot of work to do today.
- She has a lot of homework to do.
- She drinks a lot of tea every morning.
parking lot
1/pˈɑɹkɪŋ lˈɑt/
fixed phrase
area for parking vehicles outdoors
An area where cars can be parked outside.
Examples
- The parking lot was full when we arrived.
- The parking lot was full by noon.
- They built a new parking lot next to the store.
- We met in the parking lot after the concert.