this much

English

Phrase

this much

1. (To) the stated or indicated amount, degree or extent (of) (something).

   (as determiner)

   I don't want this much potato.

   (as noun/pronoun)

   This much is about right.

   I will say this much for you: consistent til the end.

   2021, Edwards v. Vannoy (U.S. Supreme Court No. 19–5807), Justice Kagan dissenting:

   At bottom, then, the Court took the unusual step of overruling precedent for the most fundamental of reasons: the need to ensure, in keeping with the Nation's oldest traditions, fair and dependable adjudications of a defendant's guilt. In this much alone, Ramos's reasoning evokes this Court's descriptions of watershed rules.

   (as adverb)

   My arm hurts when I bend it this much.

   2012, Benedict Mejilla, A Chosen Destiny:

   Or when she would playfully say “I love you this much,” showing a small space between her hands

Usage notes

As with this and that themselves, this much is used in relation to things perceived to be close to the speaker, physically or subjectively, while that much is used in relation to things perceived to be away from, or at a distance from, the speaker.

See also

• that much

Further reading

• “this much”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.