amount

[ uh-mount ]

/ əˈmaʊnt /

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See synonyms for: amount / amounted / amounts on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the sum of the principal and interest of a loan.

quantity; measure: a great amount of resistance.

the full effect, value, or significance.

verb (used without object)

to total; add (usually followed by to): The repair bill amounts to $300.

to reach, extend, or be equal in number, quantity, effect, etc.; be equivalent (usually followed by to): It is stated differently but amounts to the same thing.

to develop into; become (usually followed by to): With his intelligence, he should amount to something when he grows up.

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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, mount¹

words often confused with amount

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 ).

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH amount

amount , number (see confusables note at the current entry)

Words nearby amount

amortize, amortizement, Amory, Amos, amosite, amount, amount at risk, amount of substance, amount to, amount to the same thing, amour

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use amount in a sentence

So I started to think about anything in my life that would be worth people giving it any amount of time.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The number of diplomats was pitiful (45 appointees in 1860), as was the amount of money allocated to them.
U.S. Embassies Have Always Been for Sale|William O’Connor|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The amount of vanished bitcoins was 650,000 BTC (or 24.7 billion yen).
Japanese Bitcoin Heist ‘an Inside Job,’ Not Hackers Alone|Nathalie-Kyoko Stucky, Jake Adelstein|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They are afflicted with “progressive spiritual emptiness,” he said, which no amount of academic honors and degrees can fill.
Pope Francis Denounces the Vatican Elite’s 'Spiritual Alzheimer’s'|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We may never know the full amount that the Kochs or other outside spenders donate to advance anti-union legislation.
The Next Phase of the Koch Brothers’ War on Unions|Carl Deal and Tia Lessin|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other factors being equal, the amount of urea indicates the activity of metabolism.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
After about the forty-fifth year it becomes gradually less; after seventy-five years it is about one-half the amount given.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
In disease, the amount of solids depends mainly upon the activity of metabolism and the ability of the kidneys to excrete.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The amount of the other purin bodies together is about one-tenth that of uric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
For instance, the Limestone Polypody is not happy unless there is a certain amount of lime present in the soil.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin

British Dictionary definitions for amount

amount

/ (əˈmaʊnt) /

noun

extent; quantity; supply

the total of two or more quantities; sum

the full value, effect, or significance of something

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

verb

(intr usually foll by to) to be equal or add up in effect, meaning, or quantity

Word Origin for amount

C13: from Old French amonter to go up, from amont upwards, from a to + mont mountain (from Latin mōns)

usage for amount

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

amount

Origin of amount

words often confused with amount

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH amount

Words nearby amount

Words related to amount

How to use amount in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amount

Word Origin for amount

usage for amount