amount

1 of 2

verb

amounted; amounting; amounts

intransitive verb

1
a
: 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

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: 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
Amount vs. Number: Usage Guide

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
New precipitation amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch is possible. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Create a calendar of scholarship deadlines and requirements, and prioritize your applications based on eligibility and potential award amounts. Christopher Rim, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The ratcheting pressure is reflected in the individual amounts each school has settled for. Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 The funding amounts would vary depending on the position sought, with gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidates potentially receiving up to $2.5 million. Jeremy Yurow, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 The moisture-heavy system continued to forge a trail of wet, windy weather across the state, dumping significant rain and snow across Northern California on Wednesday — including some historic rainfall amounts — and causing minor roadway flooding, downed trees and some power outages. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024 New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. The Courier-Journal, 9 Jan. 2024 New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. The Enquirer, 22 Feb. 2024 New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
Legislators signed off on a lower amount — $18.5 million, and added a requirement for detailed spending reports from the agency. Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 But that kind of accomplishment requires a massive amount of effort, a dedicated team, and for Patrick, years of working himself into the ground. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2024 The railways have carried more than 40 million passengers and huge amounts of cargo since the war began. Svitlana Vlasova, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The boys raised an astounding amount of money — enough to plant nearly three dozen trees at $2,000 each. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 The other planes still at Miramar, including an Iraqi Bell 214 that was a war prize from the Gulf War captured by the 1st Marine division– also need a huge amount of work – it’s all expected to take about two years. Erika I. Ritchie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 Of that amount, the administration made an initial request for $50 million from Congress. Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The round, which is an unknown amount, includes investment from Kobalt Music founder/chairman Willard Ahdritz through his new company, Ahdritz & Co; Musiio co-founder Hazel Savage; Nigerian artist Mr. Eazi; and Dutch DJ and producer Sam Feldt. Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Adjusted defensive efficiency is the amount of points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amount.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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.

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of amount was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near amount

Cite this Entry

“Amount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amount. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amount

1 of 2 verb
1
: to add up
the bill amounted to ten dollars
2
: to be the same in meaning or effect
acts that amount to treason

amount

2 of 2 noun
1
: the total number or quantity : aggregate
the amount to be paid
2
: a given or particular quantity or number
add the same amount to both columns

More from Merriam-Webster on amount

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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