amount
Americannoun
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the sum total of two or more quantities or sums; aggregate.
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the sum of the principal and interest of a loan.
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quantity; measure.
a great amount of resistance.
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the full effect, value, or significance.
verb (used without object)
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to total; add (usually followed byto ).
The repair bill amounts to $300.
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to reach, extend, or be equal in number, quantity, effect, etc.; be equivalent (usually followed byto ).
It is stated differently but amounts to the same thing.
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to develop into; become (usually followed byto ).
With his intelligence, he should amount to something when he grows up.
noun
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extent; quantity; supply
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the total of two or more quantities; sum
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the full value, effect, or significance of something
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a principal sum plus the interest on it, as in a loan
verb
Usage
The use of a plural noun after amount of (an amount of bananas; the amount of refugees ) should be avoided: a quantity of bananas; the number of refugees
Commonly Confused
The traditional distinction between amount and number is that amount is used with mass or uncountable nouns ( the amount of paperwork; the amount of energy ) and number with countable nouns ( a number of songs; a number of days ). Although objected to, the use of amount instead of number with countable nouns occurs in both speech and writing, especially when the noun can be considered as a unit or group ( the amount of people present; the amount of weapons ) or when it refers to money ( the amount of dollars paid; the amount of pennies in the till ).
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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amountsimple
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amountssimple
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have amountedperfect
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has amountedperfect
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am amountingprogressive
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are amountingprogressive
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is amountingprogressive
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have been amountingperfect progressive
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has been amountingperfect progressive
Past
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amountedsimple
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had amountedperfect
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was amountingprogressive
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were amountingprogressive
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had been amountingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of amount
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb amounten, amunten, from Anglo-French amo(u)nter, amunter, Old French amonter literally, “to go up, ascend,” probably a- + monter; noun use of verb from early 18th century; see a- 5, mount 1
Explanation
An amount is a number, or quantity, of something. If you're surprised by the amount of work you have to do at your new job, you probably didn't expect such a long list of tasks. You might complain about the amount of time it takes for the shoes you bought to arrive: amount here means the number of days before you can wear them. Amount is also a verb, meaning "add up to," like when you hope the tips you earn will amount to more than minimum wage. This meaning came before the noun amount, from the now obsolete definition, "to mount a horse," from the Old French amonter, "upward."
Vocabulary lists containing amount
Measurement and Data, List 1
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"How Do We Use Water?"
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Measurement and Data
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Amount of the most illiquid credit assets held by U.S. life insurers, 20% of their 2025 fixed-income portfolio.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
The PIA, or Primary Insurance Amount, is the basis for the complex calculations used to calculate each beneficiary’s payments.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
"Approximately 93% of Holders of the Notional Amount of Securities outstanding were represented for quorum purposes and approximately 91% of such Holders had voted in favour of the Extraordinary Resolution," the statement added.
From Reuters • Aug. 9, 2022
If you want to edit the dosage and time, you can do so by tapping the Amount Taken and Time Taken buttons.
From The Verge • Jul. 13, 2022
Amount of time it took Mr. Powell to understand what I had: I think he’s still working on it.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
