Meaning & use
too much
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
An amount or degree greater than is needed, wanted, or easy to manage.
Grammar: Comes before uncountable nouns: too much sugar, not too much noise.
Patterns
- too much + uncountable noun
- too much for someone
- too much to do
Too much rain flooded the low part of the garden.
She drank too much coffee and could not sleep.
There is too much traffic at this hour.
phraseidiom
More than a person can deal with; overwhelming or excessive in effect.
Grammar: Stands alone, often after be or get: It was all too much.
Patterns
- be too much
- get/become too much
- all too much
After three night shifts, the noise at home was too much.
The wedding planning became too much for both of them.
When the crowd surged, it was all too much for the small child.
Common combinations
- too much information
- He gave too much information in the first five minutes of the talk.
- too much to handle
- Two deadlines and a sick pet felt like too much to handle.
- too much for someone
- The steep climb was too much for me after lunch.
- all too much
- The goodbyes at the airport were all too much.
Synonyms and how they differ
- excessive
- More formal and often describes rules, prices, or amounts rather than a personal feeling.
- overwhelming
- Stresses emotional or practical burden, while too much can simply mean a large amount.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: too much or to? too much or two?
too much vs to
To is a preposition or infinitive marker; too means excessively or also, as in too much or me too.
too much vs two
Two is the number 2; too much is about degree, not counting. For countable nouns use too many.
Practice
Choose the natural sentence.
Choose one answer.
Emails are countable, so too many is required; too much fits uncountable nouns such as mail or work.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “too much”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.