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.

---

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

---

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; a- ⁵, mount ¹

Example Sentences

And while the actual amount will vary on a club-by-club basis, football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes dropping out of the top flight in 2025-26 will cost clubs an average of £100m.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

“We have had an overwhelming amount of support, and it’s helped us get through this very, very tough time. She got that horse there today.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

BDCs sponsor CLOs, which pool a large amount of company loans together.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Bunkers comprise only about 1%-2% of the golf course, yet take up an inordinate amount of a golfer’s energy and anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

She looked around as if, having acted so worried about Jonah, she now had to show the same amount of concern about her daughter.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

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