mount

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈmau̇nt 

1

: a high hill : mountain

—used especially before an identifying name

Mount Everest

2

archaic : earthwork sense 1

3

: mound sense 2a(1)

mount

2 of 3

verb

mounted; mounting; mounts

intransitive verb

1

: rise, ascend

2

: to increase in amount or extent

expenses began to mount

3

: to get up on something above the level of the ground

especially : to seat oneself (as on a horse) for riding

transitive verb

1

a

: to go up : climb

b(1)

: to seat or place oneself on

(2)

: to climb on top of for copulation

2

a

: to lift up : raise

b(1)

: to put or have in position

mount artillery

(2)

: to have as equipment

c(1)

: to organize and equip (an attacking force)

mount an army

(2)

: to launch and carry out (something, such as an assault or a campaign)

3

: to set on something that elevates

4

a

: to cause to get on a means of conveyance

b

: to furnish with animals for riding

5

: to post or set up for defense or observation

mounted some guards

6

a

: to attach to a support

b

: to arrange or assemble for use or display

7

a

: to prepare (something, such as a specimen) for examination or display

b

: to prepare and supply with materials needed for performance or execution

mount an opera

mountable

ˈmau̇n-tə-bəl 

adjective

mounter noun

mount

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: an act or instance of mounting

specifically : an opportunity to ride a horse in a race

2

: frame, support: such as

a

: the material (such as cardboard) on which a picture is mounted

b

: a jewelry setting

c(1)

: an undercarriage or part on which a device (such as a motor or an artillery piece) rests in service

(2)

: an attachment for an accessory

d

: a hinge, card, or acetate envelope for mounting a stamp

e

: a glass slide with its accessories on which objects are placed for examination with a microscope

3

: a means of conveyance

especially : saddle horse

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• alp
• hump
• mountain
• peak

Verb

• accelerate
• accumulate
• appreciate
• balloon
• boom
• build up
• burgeon
• bourgeon
• climb
• enlarge
• escalate
• expand
• gain
• increase
• multiply
• mushroom
• proliferate
• rise
• roll up
• snowball
• spread
• swell
• wax

Noun (2)

• brace
• buttress
• mounting
• prop
• reinforcement
• shore
• spur
• stay
• support
• underpinning

Examples of mount in a Sentence

Verb

Their troubles have continued to mount.

The pressure mounted as the crisis continued.

The cowboy mounted his horse and then quickly dismounted.

She mounted her bicycle and rode away.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the real star of the show here is the Z-series lens system with its wider base mount, which allows more light to the corners of the sensors. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2023

The tension mounts, and soon husband and wife are having an ugly, petty fight. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023

In the final seconds of the countdown, the deluge system will release up to 358,000 gallons of fresh water through channels built into a steel plate installed underneath the pad's circular launch mount. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023

The clamp mount is sturdy, can be affixed to anything 1.5 inches thick or less, and is strong enough to hold up against bumpy rides. —Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2023

Calls for a cease-fire have grown as the casualty toll mounts in Gaza under Israeli airstrikes and siege. —Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023

Mount it to your wall, or stand it on legs (the leg mounts are sold separately). —Andrew Waite, Field & Stream, 1 Nov. 2023

Even as frustration mounts with Senate Republicans, most ABC News spoke to Thursday morning are pushing back on a growing effort by Democrats to pass the temporary change to the Senate rules. —Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023

The effort is being launched as tough-on-crime rhetoric mounts around public safety and as state lawmakers continue discussions about how to address an increase in violent crime among teenagers, including carjackings and gun violations. —Ovetta Wiggins, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023

Verb

The proposal, which the Facebook and Instagram parent company is set to announce Wednesday, counters mounting calls by state and federal policymakers for individual sites to proactively screen kids to limit their use of social media platforms over safety concerns. —Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023

Amid mounting scrutiny from figures in the entertainment industry and beyond, the studio giant later reversed its decision to bury the film, permitting director Dave Green to shop the title around to other distributors, according to the Hollywood Reporter. —Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023

The sense of mounting danger — from both the elements and the many powerful and arrogant people at the hotel — builds nicely throughout. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023

Burning through cash The financial picture that emerges from filing depicts a company that's facing mounting losses in the face of growing, yet meager, sales. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Nov. 2023

The company that held the lease at the storage facility is under mounting scrutiny. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2023

To allay concerns about improper surveillance, the Montana police are barred from mounting cameras on public buildings. —Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023

But the mounting destruction and growing civilian death toll have prompted concerns in the White House and frustration over the lack of time to get hostages. —ABC News, 12 Nov. 2023

The statement came in the midst of mounting tensions along Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based. —Ari Flanzraich, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English munt, mont, mount, in part going back to Old English munt, borrowed from Latin mont-, mons; in part borrowed from Anglo-French munt, mount (continental Old French mon, mont), going back to Latin mont-, mons "mountain, hill, towering heap, pile," derivative, with the suffix *-ti-, of Indo-European *mon- "elevation, height," whence also, from a base *monii̯o-, Welsh mynydd "mountain," Old Cornish menit (Cornish meneth), Old Breton monid (Breton menez)

Note: Also cited as comparable forms are Avestan maiti- "mountain" (hapax legomenon—see C. Bartholomae, Altiranisches Wörterbuch, 1112-13) and Old Icelandic mønir "ridge of a roof." The etymon *mon- is usually taken to be o-grade ablaut of the verbal base *men- (or *min-) seen in Latin minae "threats" and ēminēre "to stick out, protrude" (see minatory, mouth entry 1).

Verb

Middle English mounten, monten "to rise up, ascend, get up onto (a horse), add up (to)," borrowed from Anglo-French monter, munter (transitive) "to climb (something), get up onto (a horse), add up to, set up, prepare," (intransitive) "to go upward, get on horseback, go up in the world, rise in intensity" (also continental Old & Middle French), going back to Vulgar Latin *montāre, derivative of Latin mont-, mons "mountain, hill" — more at mount entry 1

Noun (2)

derivative of mount entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mount

1 of 3 noun

ˈmau̇nt 

: mountain

—used especially before an identifying name

Mount Everest

mount

2 of 3 verb

1

a

: rise entry 1 sense 5a, ascend

b

: to go up : climb

mount a ladder

2

: to get up onto something

mount a platform

3

: to furnish with riding animals or vehicles

mounted infantry

4

: to increase rapidly in amount

mounting debts

5

: to prepare for use, examination, or display especially by fastening in position on a support

mount a picture on cardboard

mount a specimen

6

: to furnish with scenery and costumes : stage

7

: to place in position for the purpose of defense or observation

mounted some guards

mount

3 of 3 noun

1

: frame, support: as

a

: a jewelry setting

b

: a glass slide on which objects are placed for examination under a microscope

2

: saddle horse

Etymology

Noun

from Old English munt and early French mont, both meaning "mount" and both from Latin mont-, mons (same meaning)

Verb

Middle English mounten "to increase, rise," from early French monter (same meaning), derived from Latin mont-, mons "hill, mount"

Medical Definition

mount

1 of 2 transitive verb

ˈmau̇nt 

: to prepare for examination or display

specifically : to place (an object) on a slide for microscopic examination

mount a specimen

mount

2 of 2 noun

1

: a glass slide with its accessories on which objects are placed for examination with a microscope

2

: a specimen mounted on a slide for microscopic examination