Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

Medical

Scrabble^®

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Dictionary

¹lot

noun \ˈlät\

: a small piece of land that is or could be used for buiding something or for some other purpose

: the buildings and land that are owned by a company that makes movies and television programs

: a small object used to choose the person who will do or receive something

Full Definition of LOT

: an object used as a counter in determining a question by chance

a : the use of lots as a means of deciding something

b : the resulting choice

a : something that comes to one upon whom a lot has fallen : share

b : one's way of life or worldly fate : fortune

a : a portion of land

b : a measured parcel of land having fixed boundaries and designated on a plot or survey

c : a motion-picture studio and its adjoining property

d : an establishment for the storage or sale of motor vehicles <a used car lot>

a : a number of units of an article, a single article, or a parcel of articles offered as one item (as in an auction sale)

b : all the members of a present group, kind, or quantity —usually used with the <sampled the whole lot of desserts>

a : a number of associated persons : set <fell in with a rough lot>

b : kind, sort

: a considerable quantity or extent <a lot of money> <lots of friends>

— all over the lot

: covering a wide or varied range <received bids all over the lot>

— a lot

: to a considerable degree or extent <this is a lot nicer>

: often, frequently <runs a lot every day>

: lots

See lot defined for English-language learners

See lot defined for kids

Origin of LOT

Middle English, from Old English hlot; akin to Old High German hlōz

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to LOT

Synonyms: parcel, plat, plot, property, tract

Antonyms: ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste, touch, trace

Synonym Discussion of LOT

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end. fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome <the fate of the submarine is unknown>. destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end <the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world>. lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance <it was her lot to die childless>, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil <remorse was his daily portion>. doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate <if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain>.

Rhymes with LOT

aught, baht, blot, bot, clot, cot, dot, ghat, grot, hot, jot, khat, knot, kyat, lotte, Mott, motte, naught, not, plot, pot, rot, scot, Scot, shot, skat, slot, snot, sot, spot, squat, stot, swat, swot, tot, trot, watt, Watt, what, wot, yacht

²lot

verb

lot·tedlot·ting

Definition of LOT

transitive verb

: allot, apportion

: to form or divide into lots

First Known Use of LOT

15th century

Related to LOT

Synonyms: allocate, allow, apportion, assign, distribute, allot, ration

Lot

noun \ˈlät\

Definition of LOT

: a nephew of Abraham who according to the account in Genesis escaped from the doomed city of Sodom with his wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back