amount
[uh-mount]
|
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)
Origin of amount
Usage note
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 ).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for amounting
load, bulk, extent, supply, chunk, number, volume, lot, measure, ton, product, outlay, sum, budget, damage, cost, output, expense, import, burdenExamples from the Web for amounting
Contemporary Examples of amounting
Historical Examples of amounting
You agree to settle your fortune after your decease, amounting to L23,000.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
The losses on both sides probably were about even, amounting to at least 5,000.
They were alive with intelligence, amounting, indeed, to craft.
The Historical Nights Entertainment, Second SeriesRafael Sabatini
They saw the applications, amounting in all to over ninety thousand shares.
The Market-PlaceHarold Frederic
Their losses were heavy, both in ships and men, amounting to about 30 per cent.
Submarine Warfare of To-dayCharles W. Domville-Fife
amount
noun
verb
Word Origin for amount
C13: from Old French amonter to go up, from amont upwards, from a to + mont mountain (from Latin mōns)
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
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
amount
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper