volume

1 of 3

noun

vol·​ume ˈväl-(ˌ)yüm  -yəm 

1

: the degree of loudness or the intensity of a sound

also : loudness

2

: the amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional object as measured in cubic units (such as quarts or liters) : cubic capacity see Metric System Table, Weights and Measures Table

3

a(1)

: amount

also : bulk, mass

(2)

: a considerable quantity

b

: the amount of a substance occupying a particular volume

c

: mass or the representation of mass in art or architecture

4

a

: a series of printed sheets bound typically in book form : book

b

: a series of issues of a periodical

c

: album sense 1b

5

: scroll sense 1a

volumed

ˈväl-(ˌ)yümd 

-yəmd

adjective

volume

2 of 3

verb

volumed; voluming

transitive verb

: to send or give out in volume

intransitive verb

: to roll or rise in volume

volume

3 of 3

adjective

: involving large quantities

volume sales

Synonyms

Noun

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• much
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plateful
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Choose the Right Synonym for volume

bulk, mass, volume mean the aggregate that forms a body or unit.

bulk implies an aggregate that is impressively large, heavy, or numerous.

the darkened bulk of the skyscrapers

mass suggests an aggregate made by piling together things of the same kind.

a mass of boulders

volume applies to an aggregate without shape or outline and capable of flowing or fluctuating.

a tremendous volume of water

Examples of volume in a Sentence

Noun

The volume is too loud.

Can you turn the volume up?

playing music at full volume

She fiddled with the volume on the stereo.

a high volume of sales

Huge volumes of park visitors come through every weekend.

an increase in traffic volume

The box has a volume of three cubic meters.

We measure the items by weight, not by volume.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Notably, no ice or shakers are used and the alcohol is neither shaken nor stirred, creating a ninety-five-per-cent undiluted Martini, which, at this volume, functions as a kind of uncontrolled insanity. —Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024

Ultimately, the decline in volume led UPS to make operational adjustments at hubs like its Louisville Worldport location, and in some cases, workforce reductions. —Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 23 Apr. 2024

China is a sore spot but volumes may improve there after Q1. —Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024

Play up your natural volume and add a barrette or two. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2024

Boosting the bass can lead to lower overall playback volume because digital signal processing (DSP) steps in to prevent distortion in certain cases. —PCMAG, 21 Apr. 2024

At the book fair, many seemed open to those questions and curious, however queasily, to touch the Corneille volume. —Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024

Near the end of his tenure, though, Stuber pivoted the streamer away from being a strictly volume business and expressed a desire to make those films watchable, as well. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024

While still a nascent technology today, quantum computing’s ability to rapidly process huge volumes of data is set to revolutionize business in the coming decades. —Jungsang Kim, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin volumen roll, scroll, from volvere to roll — more at wallow entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

1815, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adjective

circa 1945, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing volume

• alcohol by volume

Kids Definition

volume

noun

vol·​ume

ˈväl-yəm,

-yüm

1

: book entry 1 sense 2a

2

: one of a series of books forming a complete work or collection

the fifth volume of an encyclopedia

3

: an amount of space as measured in cubic units

the volume of a container

4

: a large amount : mass

volumes of smoke

a volume of criticism poured in

5

: the degree of loudness of a sound

turn up the volume

Etymology

Noun

Middle English volume "a book, a scroll of papyrus," from early French (same meaning), from Latin volumen "roll, scroll," from volvere "to roll" — related to revolve

Word Origin

The earliest books were written on long rolls made from a plant called papyrus. The Roman name for such a roll was volumen, a word which came from the verb volvere, meaning "to roll." Later, books were made of a material called parchment, which, unlike papyrus, could be folded and bound together. This advance made it unnecessary to use rolls anymore. The French word volume, which came from the Latin volumen, was originally used to refer to papyrus rolls but later was used for bound books as well. The French word was borrowed into English in the 14th century. By the 16th century, volume had also come to mean "the size (of a book)." This meaning led to a more general sense, "the quantity or amount (of anything)." In the 19th century, volume acquired still another meaning, "the strength or loudness of a sound."

Medical Definition

volume

noun

vol·​ume ˈväl-yəm, -(ˌ)yüm 

1

: the amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional figure as measured in cubic units (as inches, quarts, or centimeters) : cubic capacity

2

: the amount of a substance occupying a particular volume