quantity

noun

quan·​ti·​ty ˈkwän-tə-tē 

plural quantities

1

a

: an indefinite amount or number

b

: a determinate or estimated amount

c

: total amount or number

d

: a considerable amount or number

—often used in plural

… generous quantities of luck.

—H. E. Putsch

2

a

: the aspect in which a thing is measurable in terms of greater, less, or equal or of increasing or decreasing magnitude

b

: the subject of a mathematical operation

c

: an individual considered with respect to a given situation

… an unknown quantity … as attorney general.

—Tom Wicker

3

a

: duration and intensity of speech sounds as distinct from their individual quality or phonemic character

specifically : the relative length or brevity of a prosodic syllable in some languages (such as Greek and Latin)

b

: the relative duration or time length of a speech sound or sound sequence

4

: the character of a logical proposition as being universal, particular, or singular

Synonyms of quantity

• loads
• ton
• plenty
• dozen
• chunk
• deal
• abundance
• wealth
• pile
• lot
• slew
• bunch
• volume
• bundle

Examples of quantity in a Sentence

The wine is made in small quantities.

The boss is worried about quantity as well as quality.

The family buys food in quantity.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to a federal indictment, Maduro and his alleged co-conspirators spent decades working alongside some of the world’s most violent drug traffickers and corrupt regional officials to funnel large quantities of cocaine into the United States. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026

Authorities reported finding unspecified quantities of cocaine and pain killers, according to Clark. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026

This is the first Keepsake Ornament for both players, according to Hallmark, though Kansas City Royals star Witt had a Hallmark bobblehead ornament that was not part of the limited-quantity Keepsake line. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026

Series That Travel Most importantly Gårdare has had to prioritise stories that travel, and quality over quantity to counter in-house budget cuts and escalating production costs, harsh measures already implemented by many of her European counterparts. —Annika Pham, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English quantite, from Anglo-French quantité, from Latin quantitat-, quantitas, from quantus how much, how large; akin to Latin quam how, as, quando when, qui who — more at who

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing quantity

• in quantity
• known quantity
• quantity surveyor
• quantity theory
• unknown quantity

Kids Definition

quantity

noun

quan·​ti·​ty ˈkwän(t)-ət-ē 

plural quantities

1

a

: an amount or number that is not fixed

b

: a great amount or number

buys food in quantity

2

a

: the character of something that makes it possible to measure or number it

b

: something on which a mathematical operation can be performed

multiply the quantity x by y

Etymology

Middle English quantite "amount," from early French quantité (same meaning), derived from Latin quantus "how much?, how large?"