a lot of

a lot

A large amount, extent, or degree of something. Also written in the plural form, "lots." I have a lot of respect for my father, who worked hard every day to give us the things we wanted. It was lots of fun hanging out last night.
See also: lot

a lot of

A large number or amount of (people or things). There are still a lot of issues plaguing the operating system that we need to figure out before it's released next month. We did a lot of promotion for our show, but not a lot of people showed up.
See also: lot, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

lot of someone or something

 and lots of people or things
a large number of people or things; much of something. I got a lot of presents for my birthday. I ate lots of cookies after dinner.
See also: lot, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

a lot

Very many, a large number; also, very much. For example, A lot of people think the economy is declining, or Sad movies always made her cry a lot. It is sometimes put as a whole lot for greater emphasis, as in I learned a whole lot in his class. It may also emphasize a comparative indication of amount, as in We need a whole lot more pizza to feed everyone, or Mary had a lot less nerve than I expected. [Colloquial; early 1800s]
See also: lot
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • a lot
  • campi
  • battleship
  • iron in the fire
  • prelim
  • prelims
  • The wolf is at the door
  • the wolf is at the/(one's) door
  • home truth
  • a home truth
References in classic literature
wrote to their lawyer in New Orleans, who attached the real estate (these two articles and a lot of plantation hands formed the most valuable part of it), and wrote word to that effect to New York.
Skeggs is busy and bright, for a lot of goods is to be fitted out for auction.
Uncle Toms Cabin
He's a lazy sort of chap, hates work, and I guess he only got the job because his uncle had got a lot of shares in the business.
I was taken prisoner by one of those chaps, carried off to their beastly village and very nearly murdered by a chap who seemed to be a cross between an executioner and a high-priest, and who kept dancing round me, singing a lot of rot and pointing a knife at me.
A Millionaire of Yesterday
When the swallows heard this, they all came down on to the Doctor's ship; and they told him to unravel some pieces of long rope and make them into a lot of thin strings as quickly as he could.
Story of Doctor Dolittle
You're one of a lot of impostors that are the worst lot of all the lots to be met with.
Little Dorrit
He didn't sleep much, he was in such a sweat to get in there and find out the mystery about Phillips; and moreover he done a lot of guessing about it all night, which warn't no use, for if you are going to find out the facts of a thing, what's the sense in guessing out what ain't the facts and wasting ammunition?
Tom Sawyer Detective
"Oh, how pretty!--and what a lot of trees and grass all around it!
Just as it is when the PRETTY hair-ribbons come in the barrels after a lot of faded-out brown ones.
Pollyanna
It was almost like a lot of boys scramblin' on the sidewalk for a handful of small change.
The Valley of the Moon
'I told him: 'I've caught a lot of pitchers in eight years in this league and that was the most well-pitched, best-executed game I've ever had behind the plate,'' catcher Jonathan Lucroy said.
A's Manaea no-hits Red Sox to end 25-year streak
Knockouts The week saw a lot of action as the closing dates for three of the KOs get close.
No change at the top; Snooker
"A lot of people wonder how that can be with all those headfirst slides, but in the end they weren't as punishing as they looked."
Rickey Henderson looks back on Hall of Fame career: all-time stolen-base king has great memories of a 25-year career that featured 3,000 hits, the lifetime record for runs scored, an MVP award and two World Series titles
''But we just had a lot of momentum once we scored a bunch of runs the first game.
Tigers call upon another ace in Sanchez, but bats need a boost
"There are a lot of things that can threaten the life of a newborn, including birth defects, infection, genetic disease and even unfortunate things like accidents and suffocation," he told the news wire.
Pat Neshek's Baby Dead, Oakland A's Pitcher's Son Dies 23 Hours After Birth