amount

verb

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\ ə-ˈmau̇nt

amounted; amounting; amounts

Definition of amount

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to be the same in meaning or effect as acts that amount to treason

b : to reach in kind or quality : to turn out to be wanted her son to amount to something [=to be successful] The changes don't really amount to much. [=are not really substantial or significant]

2 : to reach a total : add up The bill amounts to $10.

amount

noun

Definition of amount (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the total number or quantity : aggregate trying to figure the amount of time it will take

b : the quantity at hand or under consideration has an enormous amount of energy

2 : the whole effect, significance, or import

3 accounting : a principal sum and the interest on it

Synonyms Amount vs. Number: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about amount

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Amount vs. Number: Usage Guide

Noun

Number is regularly used with count nouns a large number of mistakes any number of times while amount is mainly used with mass nouns. annual amount of rainfall a substantial amount of money The use of amount with count nouns has been frequently criticized; it usually occurs when the number of things is thought of as a mass or collection glad to furnish any amount of black pebbles — New Yorker a substantial amount of film offers — Lily Tomlin or when money is involved. a substantial amount of loans — E. R. Black

Examples of amount in a Sentence

Noun The drug is not being produced in adequate amounts. What is the amount to be paid? An amount was finally agreed upon. The new law limits the amount a candidate can spend. When he died we found he owed money to the amount of $250,000!

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb In another perfume that would amount to a heady, hedonistic journey, but the Bond version is cool and crisp. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Spring’s Best Fragrances Are Big on Personality," 8 Apr. 2021 Ethiopia is facing a raft of intense scrutiny over human rights violations that may amount to war crimes in Tigray. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, "US looking into reports of Ethiopian military executing unarmed men after CNN investigation," 6 Apr. 2021 The expansion, which will go into effect Tuesday, comes before an anticipated increase in the state’s weekly allotment that will amount to about 424,000 doses delivered to Minnesota in early April, according to Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Nursing home isolation, Oahu weddings, eligibility rolls: News from around our 50 states," 29 Mar. 2021 The expansion, which will go into effect Tuesday, comes before an anticipated increase in the state's weekly allotment that will amount to around 424,000 doses delivered to Minnesota in early April, according to Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. — Mohamed Ibrahim, Star Tribune, "Walz expands vaccine eligibility before boost to supply," 26 Mar. 2021 Smarting over Biden’s intent to undo the 2017 tax cuts has only solidified what could amount to a wall of GOP opposition. — Jonathan Lemire, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Biden announces huge infrastructure plan to ‘win the future’," 1 Apr. 2021 Smarting over Biden's intent to undo the 2017 tax cuts has only solidified what could amount to a wall of GOP opposition. — Jonathan Lemire, Star Tribune, "Biden announces huge infrastructure plan to 'win the future'," 31 Mar. 2021 The Suez Canal blockage could amount to the most expensive traffic jam in history, costing $9.6 billion daily in trade snarl-ups, Bloomberg calculates. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "Nasdaq futures rebound as bond yields hold tight," 25 Mar. 2021 How much those bills will amount to remains to be seen, but they are expected to far exceed the nearly $7.2 million in expenses requested by attorneys in the case. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "Concerns mount over attorney fees in Flint water settlement. Here's why.," 23 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Police spend an ignoble amount of time pursuing dangers supposedly held off by that thin blue line. — Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, "Daunte Wright and the Grammar of Kim Potter’s Resignation," 16 Apr. 2021 Before the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed, Americans had been able to deduct an unlimited amount of state and local property, income and sales taxes from their federal returns since 1913. — Los Angeles Times, "California lawmakers taking a softer tone on restoring a tax break Californians lost under Trump," 16 Apr. 2021 When filing the notice of claim, Damask sought $500,000 plus an amount to cover attorney fees or $666,667 in total. — Renata Cló, The Arizona Republic, "Maricopa Community College District will pay $155K settlement to Scottsdale professor criticized for anti-Islam quiz," 15 Apr. 2021 The resort demanded a $20,000 rescheduling fee, an amount Bregman refused to pay. — Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, "Houston Astros star Alex Bregman sues San Antonio's La Cantera Resort & Spa for wedding deposit," 15 Apr. 2021 Consider the February 2009 run-in between a dead Russian Cosmos satellite and a commercial Iridium spacecraft, which produced an enormous amount of debris. — Leonard David, Scientific American, "Space Junk Removal Is Not Going Smoothly," 14 Apr. 2021 But Big Daddy Kane deserves an equal amount of credit. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland, "200 greatest hip-hop songs of all time," 13 Apr. 2021 The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount for damages as well as policy changes for the Detroit police department, which continues to use the software. — Washington Post, "Wrongfully arrested man sues Detroit police over false facial-recognition match," 13 Apr. 2021 Cities of less than 50,000 will receive an amount based on population. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "AG Steve Marshall warns Alabama officials about spending abundance of federal money," 13 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amount.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for amount

Verb

Middle English amounten "to mount (a horse), increase, (of a sum, period of time) add up (to), come (to), be worth, be equal (to)," borrowed from Anglo-French amunter, amounter (continental Old French amonter) "to rise, increase, be worth, add up (to)," derivative of amunt, amount (continental Old French amont) "above, upward," univerbation of the adverbial phrase a mont "upward," literally "to the mountain," from a "to" (going back to Latin ad) + mont "mountain," going back to Latin mont-, mons — more at ad-, mount entry 1

Note: Alternatively Old French and Anglo-French amunter, amonter could be taken as a derivative of munter, monter "to mount" (see mount entry 2) with the prefix a-, usually forming transitive verbs. Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch lists the verb under both the etymon mons and *montare.

Noun

Middle English amunte, borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative of amunter "to rise, increase, be worth, add up (to)" — more at amount entry 1

Note: The noun is sparsely attested in Middle English and Anglo-French, and the post-medieval English noun should probably be taken as directly derived from the verb amount entry 1.

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