amount

American  

[uh-mount] / əˈmaʊnt /

noun

1. the sum total of two or more quantities or sums; aggregate.

2. the sum of the principal and interest of a loan.

3. quantity; measure.

   a great amount of resistance.

4. the full effect, value, or significance.

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verb (used without object)

1. to total; add (usually followed byto ).

   The repair bill amounts to $300.

2. 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.

3. to develop into; become (usually followed byto ).

   With his intelligence, he should amount to something when he grows up.

amount British  

/ əˈmaʊnt /

noun

1. extent; quantity; supply

2. the total of two or more quantities; sum

3. the full value, effect, or significance of something

4. a principal sum plus the interest on it, as in a loan

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verb

1. to be equal or add up in effect, meaning, or quantity

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 ).

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."

Example Sentences

Amount of Oracle’s future lease deals for data centers and AI cloud computing that isn’t on its balance sheet.

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

The Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA, is an additional amount paid for Medicare Part B and Part D premiums by people whose income is above a certain level.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 21, 2025

Though She-Hulk’s mostly used that power to quip about her show not being like other MCU shows, “A Normal Amount of Rage” almost frames it as Jen’s answer to Bruce’s Hulk rage.

From The Verge • Aug. 24, 2022

"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

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

Related Words

• budget
• cost
• damage
• expense
• extent
• lot
• outlay
• output
• price tag
• product
• sum