amass
Americanverb (used with object)
-
amasses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
amassed,
past participle, past
-
amassing
present participle
-
to gather for oneself; collect as one's own.
to amass a huge amount of money.
- Synonyms:
- accumulate
-
to collect into a mass or pile; gather.
He amassed his papers for his memoirs.
verb (used without object)
-
amasses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
amassed,
past participle, past
-
amassing
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to accumulate or collect (esp riches, etc)
-
to gather in a heap; bring together
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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amasssimple
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amassessimple
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have amassedperfect
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has amassedperfect
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am amassingprogressive
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are amassingprogressive
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is amassingprogressive
-
have been amassingperfect progressive
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has been amassingperfect progressive
Past
-
amassedsimple
-
had amassedperfect
-
was amassingprogressive
-
were amassingprogressive
-
had been amassingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of amass
First recorded in 1475–85; from French amasser, equivalent to a- a- 5 ( def. ) + masse mass ( def. ) + -er, infinitive suffix
Explanation
Amass means bring together or assemble. It can be a real shock to enter a room and see your amassed friends shouting "Surprise!" Although the word amass should not be confused with "a mass," as in the thing you never want to hear has been found on your lung, they both derive from the Latin massa "lump." When you think about it, this makes sense. Whether soldiers or cancer cells, things that come together to form a whole — in this case, a tumor or an army — are amassed.
Vocabulary lists containing amass
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
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Promises to Keep
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A Very Large Expanse of Sea
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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.
See Examples For:
By purchasing at low prices, they could amass big stakes inside their retirement accounts while remaining within annual contribution limits intended to keep tax subsidies modest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year announced Drone Dominance, a $1.1 billion initiative to amass around 300,000 low-cost attack drones by 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
For reimbursements, get ready to amass a boatload of documentation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
They’re a play to attract investors who are outraged enough by Musk but, like other narrowly focused ETFs, they probably won’t amass “significant” assets, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Each piece is registered in huge organizational folios that have taken centuries to amass.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
William amasses a mighty army to fight Harold for the crown, and the two sides meet at the Battle of Hastings.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Rogan, the exhibition amasses a remarkable range of portable abstract objects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Wide receiver Makai Lemon has a standout game for USC, which amasses 517 total yards of offense in a 45-31 victory over Michigan State to move to 4-0.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
The president, in turn, has played the two sides off against each other to ensure, analysts say, that neither amasses too much power.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2023
Maybe if she amasses $4,000, her brother Marco will help her invest it in Honduras.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
To date, the band has released 12 studio albums and amassed more than 348,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Kushner, whose older brother Jared is President Trump’s son-in-law, founded the Thrive Capital firm in 2009 and has amassed a net worth estimated by Forbes at more than $5 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
As of late last month, there were roughly 7 million accounts that had amassed nearly $1.5 billion in savings for children.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The 45-year-old IT professional and content creator has amassed an audience of over 600,000 people across his social platforms, where he posts pickle-related reviews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They have amassed quite a sack of coins for their efforts.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
Some experts have warned that amassing too much space junk around Earth could lead to a dangerous chain reaction of collisions known as the "Kessler syndrome."
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The company also has been amassing wireless spectrum to support its ambitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
For now, investors are pleased with the three amassing new business and growing sales.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
That number is now inching closer to the billion mark with Jio alone amassing 525 million of those subscribers.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Inside the stainless-steel pot, blue corn powder was amassing into tiny balls that grew into dense lumps.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
