umpteen

adjective

ump·​teen ˈəm(p)-ˌtēn 

ˌəm(p)-ˈtēn

: very many : indefinitely numerous

Stephen King is beloved by fans of the horror genre for his umpteen bestselling books …

—Sam Swantek

Their well-crafted prose simply repeats what umpteen other basic books on wine already say.

—Harvey Steiman

Innumerable GIs were taught how to ask for a hamburger in umpteen different languages.

—Roy Harris

Our umpteen-year mission to explore new worlds and new civilizations.

—Salman Rushdie

Did you know?

"I'll go to bed and I'll not get up for umpty-eleven months." You know the feeling. The speaker here is war-weary Bill, a character in Patrick MacGill's early 20th-century novel The Great Push. His "umpty" originated as military slang around 1905 and stood for an indefinite number, generally largish. (It was probably created by analogy to actual numbers such as "twenty.") Soon, there followed "umpteen," blending "umpty" and "-teen." "Umpteen" usually describes an indefinite and large number or amount, while the related "umpteenth" is used for the latest or last in an indefinitely numerous series. We only occasionally use "umpty" these days (and even more rarely "umptieth"), but you're bound to hear or read "umpteen" and "umpteenth" any number of times.

Examples of umpteen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From now through Labor Day, millions of visitors will flock here, filling the city’s hotels, restaurants, shops, museums, Navy Pier and the rest of the lakefront, the Riverwalk, tour boats, ballparks and the zoo, plus the umpteen festivals and block parties throughout many neighborhoods. —Will Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2024

Both had careers in New York — Lizzie in finance and Sarah in fashion — and were stopped umpteen times by strangers asking about the boots on their feet. —Maria Halkias, Dallas News, 7 July 2023

And for the umpteen transitions, tall, slim screens glide across the stage like screen-wipes displaying distractingly different, hyper-realist close-up images ranging from location-setting photos to a (worryingly out of focus) video of a guttering candle. —David Benedict, Variety, 26 May 2023

Capaldi has had umpteen small moments in which his comedic persona has been as loud as his songs. —Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 6 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

blend of umpty (such and such) and -teen (as in thirteen)

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

umpteen

adjective

ump·​teen ˈəm(p)-ˈtēn 

ˌəm(p)-

: numerous but not fixed in amount

umpteen million things to do