What does "more" mean?
A carrot; a parsnip.
More
/mɔː(ɹ)/ adj, adv, det, name, noun, pron, verb
adj, adv, det, name, noun, pron, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A carrot; a parsnip.
- Grammar: more is listed as adj, adv, det, name, noun, pron, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: a certain number, a few, about, above.
- Useful contrasts: less animal, littler, ninety.
- Usage evidence: I always liked mysterious characters more.
How to use "more"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "more" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "more" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "more" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "more" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "more" is acting as adj, adv, det, name, noun, pron, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a certain number" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "more", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A carrot; a parsnip. obsolete
- 2 singular of mores form-of, nonstandard, singular
"In the 1990s, smoking is considered dumb and a symbol of bad health habits, replete with the Surgeon General’s warnings. But even this belief is a social more, subject to time. Maybe some future society will consider smoking brave—a symbolic affront to Big Brother government—or cowardly—a cop-out to avoid some type of community service."
- 3 A root; stock. dialectal
- 4 A plant; flower; shrub. dialectal
Verb
- 1 To root up. transitive
Adjective
- 1 comparative degree of many: in greater number. (Used for a discrete quantity.) comparative, form-of
"Last year’s applications received from new and returning students were more than each of the previous four years."
- 2 comparative degree of much: in greater quantity, amount, or proportion. (Used for a continuous quantity.) comparative, form-of
Adjective
- 1 (comparative of ‘much’ used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree; above; more than wordnet
- 2 (comparative of ‘many’ used with count nouns) quantifier meaning greater in number wordnet
Adverb
- 1 To a greater degree or extent.
"I like cake, but I like chocolate more."
- 2 Used to form the comparative form of adjectives and adverbs.
"You're a great deal more beautiful than I ever imagined."
- 3 In negative constructions: any further, any longer; any more. poetic
"Than was there pees betwyxte thys erle and thys Aguaurs, and grete surete that the erle sholde never warre agaynste hym more."
- 4 Used in addition to an inflected comparative form. dialectal, humorous, proscribed
"I was more better at English than you."
Adverb
- 1 used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs, indicates that the adjective or adverb is more of something wordnet
- 2 comparative of much; to a greater degree or extent wordnet
Determiner
- 1 comparative degree of many: in greater number. (Used for a discrete quantity.) comparative, form-of
"There are more ways to do this than I can count."
- 2 comparative degree of much: in greater quantity, amount, or proportion. (Used for a continuous quantity.) comparative, form-of
"There's more caffeine in my coffee than in the coffee you get in most places."
- 3 Additional; further.
"If you run out, there are more bandages in the first aid cupboard."
- 4 Bigger, stronger, or more valuable.
"He is more than the ten years he spent behind bars at our local prison, as he is a changed man and his past does not define him."
Pronoun
- 1 A greater number or quantity (of something).
"We’re running out of napkins. I should have bought more."
- 2 An extra or additional quantity (of something).
"There aren’t many people here yet, but more should be arriving soon."
Proper Noun
- 1 The Volta-Congo language of the Mossi people, mainly spoken in part of Burkina Faso.
- 2 A surname from Scottish Gaelic. countable, uncountable
- 3 A small village and civil parish (without a council) in south-west Shropshire, England (OS grid ref SO3491). countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I always liked mysterious characters more."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "more"?
Common synonyms include: a certain number, a few, about, above, accessory, added.
How do you use "more" in a sentence?
I always liked mysterious characters more.
How do you pronounce "more"?
Pronounced /mɔː(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English more, from Old English māra (“more”), from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *maizô (“more”), from Proto-Indo-European *mē- (“many”). Cognate with Scots mair (“more”), Saterland Frisian moor (“more”), West Frisian mear (“more”), Dutch meer (“more”), Low German mehr (“more”), German mehr (“more”), Danish mere (“more”), Swedish mera (“more”), Norwegian Bokmål mer (“more”), Norwegian Nynorsk meir (“more”), Icelandic meiri, meira (“more”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English more, moore (“root”), from Old English more, moru (“carrot, parsnip”) from Proto-West Germanic *morhā, from Proto-Germanic *murhǭ (“carrot”), from Proto-Indo-European *merk- (“edible herb, tuber”). Akin to Old Saxon moraha (“carrot”), Old High German morha, moraha (“root of a plant or tree”) (German Möhre (“carrot”), Morchel (“mushroom, morel”)). More at morel.
Etymology 3
From Middle English moren, from the noun. See above.
Etymology 4
Back-formation from mores.
Etymology 5
From French mooré, from Moore moore (“Moore language”), from moaaga (“Mossi person”) + -re (suffix for names of languages).
Etymology 6
* As a Scottish and English surname, variant of Moore. * As a French surname, from Old French more (“Moor”), respelled from Latin Maurus. Compare Mauro. * As a Scottish Gaelic surname, from mór (“big”). * As an Indian (Maharashtra) surname, from Marathi मोर (mor, “peacock”), from Sanskrit मयूर (mayūra).