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

Legal experts debated whether this amounted to witness tampering. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "The Mueller investigation has gotten closer to Donald Trump," 6 Dec. 2018 The aircraft features two identical fuselages, six enormous turbofan engines, and what amounts to three wings—one in the center. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Does Stratolaunch Have a Top Secret Purpose?," 22 Aug. 2018 Speaking of millions, Kloss has made a fortune through her work as a model (albeit one that's amounted to less than her venture-capital investor fiancé's). — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "At 25, Karlie Kloss Is One of the World's Highest-Paid Models," 24 July 2018 That is a minor complaint in the face of a series that gripped me from frame one, despite telling a very small, intimate story that occasionally amounts to two girls learning lessons about how the world works and little else. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "HBO’s My Brilliant Friend adaptation is a knockout," 18 Nov. 2018 While not a lifelong ban, excommunication is a rare move that amounts to the harshest punishment available for a church member. — Brady Mccombs, Fox News, "Mormon fighting to end youth interviews ousted from faith," 16 Sep. 2018 Wisconsin has agreed to more than $4 billion in tax credits and other inducements over a 15-year period, subsidies that amount to thousands of dollars for every job created. — Monica Davey, New York Times, "In Wisconsin Visit, Trump Cheers One Company and Criticizes Another," 28 June 2018 What then transpired might have been one of the biggest dog and pony shows that amounted to nothing. — Stephen A. Crockett Jr., The Root, "The NBA Draft Is Over and LiAngelo Ball Is Still Without a Team," 22 June 2018 This year human services agencies were awarded $10 million, but the proposed 2019 cuts that amount to $7 million. — Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Sittenfeld, Mann pitch ticket tax increase to help charitable organizations," 20 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Google is becoming part of America's culture war Republicans spent a fair amount of time at Tuesday's hearings establishing that a lot of liberals work at Google. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Republicans are mad at Google for search bias—will they do anything about it?," 12 Dec. 2018 Then, mix baking soda and water with a small amount of vinegar to create a thick paste. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "How To Remove Slime From Your Furniture, Carpet And More," 5 Dec. 2018 AncestryDNA also has a disproportionately higher amount of reference samples from people of European heritage. — Dieter Holger, PCWorld, "DNA testing for ancestry is more detailed for white people. Here’s why, and how it's changing," 4 Dec. 2018 Presumably this does not include Harry and Meghan, who will probably be juggling a fair amount of stress already as first-time parents when the book hits shelves around April/May, and therefore don't stand to benefit much from the whole thing. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle's Sister Samantha is Celebrating the Royal Baby By Releasing a Tell-All Book," 19 Nov. 2018 Brides presumably pay a fair amount of attention to their appearances. — Nancy Mcdonell, WSJ, "The Surprisingly Rich History of Women’s Underwear as Outerwear," 13 Nov. 2018 Asa Mathat The Emerson Collective, the social impact firm run by Laurene Powell, is purchasing Pop-Up Magazine Productions for an undisclosed amount. — Kara Swisher, Recode, "Laurene Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective bought Pop-Up Magazine Productions," 27 Nov. 2018 The tours will also live online for an unlimited amount of time. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Open houses become real-time design museums in Sweden," 7 Nov. 2018 That would put HP’s eye-popping claim of 22.5 hours of battery life closer to 18 hours—still a massive amount. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "HP Spectre x360 13 (2018) hands on: 'Whiskey Lake' power sits alongside 22 hours of battery life," 23 Oct. 2018

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.