amount

verb

\ ə-ˈmau̇nt

amounted; amounting; amounts

Definition of amount

(Entry 1 of 2)

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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Synonyms for amount

Synonyms: Noun

measure, quantity, quantum, volume

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

The central issue in prosecutors’ petition is an Illinois law that allows a judge to sentence a person for only the most serious crime when he is convicted of multiple crimes for what amounts to a single act. — Don Babwin, The Seattle Times, "Prosecutors seek new sentence in Laquan McDonald case," 12 Feb. 2019 Its DeX and DeX Pad, for example, turn Samsung Galaxy phones into what essentially amounts to a desktop computer. — Ashley Carman, The Verge, "Samsung’s 2019 TVs will support input devices, like keyboards and mice for your PC," 27 Dec. 2018 That’s not to downplay the work of criminal justice reformers who are trying to reduce the size and burden of what amounts to a fairly large prison system at the federal level. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Senate just passed criminal justice reform," 19 Dec. 2018 Planck found an answer in 1900 with what amounted to a modern-day hack. — Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, "How Quantum Mechanics Lets Us See, Smell and Touch," 24 Oct. 2018 Travel; the tranquilizing effects of suspending yourself on a sea-meets-sky horizon; the body-toning results of what amounts to hours of aquatic sprint intervals. — Mackenzie Wagoner, Glamour, "7 Pro Surfers on the Best Deep Conditioners," 17 Sep. 2018 The proceeds from this fee, which will amount to about $380,000 a year, would then go towards education and health care programs in Louisiana and Maryland, where according to the Times, many of the 4,000 known living descendants of the slaves live. — Jameelah Nasheed, Teen Vogue, "Georgetown Students Vote to Pay Reparations to Aid Descendants of Enslaved People Sold by the University," 12 Apr. 2019 Something like Australia’s law — which amounts to a confiscation program — is never seriously considered. — German Lopez, Vox, "I’ve covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren’t a big mystery.," 14 Feb. 2019 Merkel said Germany will provide the $100 million loan in addition to bilateral aid, which amounts to about $442 million, this year. — Karin Laub, BostonGlobe.com, "Merkel pledges $100 million loan for troubled Jordan," 22 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There's no amount of concealer that can fix this, but thanks. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "15 Things Only People With Insomnia Will Understand," 14 May 2019 Individuals have indeed sued Ford for the PowerShift transmission, as reported by the Free Press, and have won settlements of amounts of three times or more what their cars were worth brand new. — Clifford Atiyeh, Car and Driver, "What You Need to Know about Ford's PowerShift Transmission Problems," 13 May 2019 But that's only a fraction of the amount of time that Kitao has been in business — a quarter to be exact. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "What Kitao's Matcha Skin-Care Line Taught Me About Japanese Beauty," 11 May 2019 There was an unbelievable amount of blood that just plopped right out of me. — Kristin Toussaint, Teen Vogue, "Why Miscarriages Should Be in All Sex Ed Lesson Plans," 18 Apr. 2019 There was a tremendous amount of pressure on our guys to make plays. — Doug Feinberg, The Seattle Times, "Dangerfield helps UConn beat UCLA 69-61 in Sweet 16," 29 Mar. 2019 After that there isn't a huge amount—lots of books to read. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "The Royal Family's Most Emotional, Revealing Quotes About Their Mental Health," 27 Feb. 2019 Democrats lost huge amounts of ground among non-college whites with conservative racial attitudes, while staying the same or even improving among those with more progressive views. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The 9 thinkers who made sense of 2018’s chaos," 27 Dec. 2018 In 2015, a similar lawsuit argued that the SEC had taken an unreasonable amount of time to come to a decision. — Kristin Broughton, WSJ, "Whistleblower Challenges SEC Over Delay on Award Decision," 30 Apr. 2019

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.