Definition of tantamount
: equivalent in value, significance, or effect
- a relationship tantamount to marriage
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tantamount was our Word of the Day on 09/07/2014. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of tantamount in a Sentence
His statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
They see any criticism of the President as tantamount to treason.
Recent Examples of tantamount from the Web
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Elrich has racked up a panoply of other endorsements — many from labor unions and progressive groups — in his bid to win the six-way Democratic primary race, which in liberal Montgomery is tantamount to winning the general election.
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As the report acknowledges, some people believe that removing Confederate symbols is tantamount to erasing a chapter of United States history.
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For a slippery show like Sense8, that's tantamount to death.
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What Trump is implying, instead, is that skipping an appearance with Trump is tantamount to skipping the anthem.
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Sensing such a move, top Democrats and at least one Republican on Friday said the White House's decision was tantamount to a bailout of a large Chinese company with little benefit for the United States.
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Instead, the ability to generate offense from up and down the roster has been tantamount to longevity.
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But to many Americans, taking the Fifth is tantamount to confessing, even though legal experts caution against this interpretation.
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Other primaries, in districts tilted toward one party, will essentially be tantamount to election.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tantamount.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Tantamount comes from the Anglo-French phrase tant amunter, meaning "to amount to as much." This phrase comes from the Old French tant, meaning "so much" or "as much," and amounter, meaning "to ascend" or "to add up to." When tantamount first entered English, it was used similarly to the Anglo-French phrase, as a verb meaning "to be equivalent." "His not denying tant-amounteth to the affirming of the matter," wrote clergyman Thomas Fuller in 1659, for example. There was also a noun tantamount in the 17th century, but the adjective is the only commonly used form of the term nowadays.
Origin and Etymology of tantamount
obsolete tantamount, noun, equivalent, from Anglo-French tant amunter to amount to as much
TANTAMOUNT Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of tantamount for English Language Learners
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: equal to something in value, meaning, or effect
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See words that rhyme with tantamount Spanish Central: Translation of tantamount Nglish: Translation of tantamount for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tantamount for Arabic speakers
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