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• amp
  amp

  noun

  ampere.
• AMP
  AMP

  abbreviation

  a white, crystalline, water-soluble nucleotide, C 10 H 12 N 5 O 3 H 2 PO 4 , obtained by the partial hydrolysis of ATP or of ribonucleic acid, yielding on hydrolysis adenine, ribose, and orthophosphoric acid.
• amp.
  amp.

  abbreviation

  amperage.

amp

¹ American  

[amp] / æmp /

noun

Electricity.

1. ampere.

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amp ² American  

[amp] / æmp /

noun

1. amplifier.

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verb (used with object)

1. to excite or energize (usually followed byup ).

   We were so amped up for the game that we forgot to eat.

amp ³ American  

[amp] / æmp /

noun

Slang.

1. amputation.

2. amputee.

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AMP ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Biochemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble nucleotide, C 10 H 12 N 5 O 3 H 2 PO 4 , obtained by the partial hydrolysis of ATP or of ribonucleic acid, yielding on hydrolysis adenine, ribose, and orthophosphoric acid.

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amp. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

Electricity.

1. amperage.

2. ampere; amperes.

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amp. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. ampere

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AMP ² British  

abbreviation

1. adenosine monophosphate

2. Australian Mutual Provident Society

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amp ³ British  

/ æmp /

noun

1. an ampere

2. informal an amplifier

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verb

1. informal to excite or become excited

AMP Scientific  

/ ā′ĕm-pē′ /

1. Short for adenosine monophosphate. An organic compound that is composed of adenosine and one phosphate group. It is one of the nucleotides present in DNA and RNA, and is also the fundamental component of ATP and ADP. During certain cellular metabolic processes, AMP forms from ADP when the latter loses a phosphate group, and AMP forms ADP by acquiring a phosphate group. Chemical formula: C ₁₀ H ₁₄ N ₅ O ₇ P.

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amp Cultural  

1. A unit of electric current (see also current). One ampere corresponds to a certain number of electrons passing a fixed point each second.

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Discover More

A typical household's electrical supply includes a total of 120 to 200 amps; a typical house circuit carries 15 to 50 amps.

Etymology

Origin of amp¹

First recorded in 1880–85; by shortening

Origin of amp²

First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening

Origin of amp³

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening

Origin of AMP⁴

First recorded in 1950–55; a(denosine) m(ono-)p(hosphate)

Explanation

An amp is a unit of electricity. Your new air conditioner might use nine amps of power, replacing your less efficient old one. When you're measuring electrical charge or current, you can express the units in amps, which is short for amperes. Since the 1880s, the definition of amp has been "the current that one volt can send through one ohm," and the word itself comes from the French physicist who helped found the science of electromagnetism, André-Marie Ampère.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

amp AMP amp.

The state must also continue to amp up its energy supply in order to ensure it can meet the growing electrical demand posed by AI data centers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

To amp up its buying spree, the company started selling stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

It was critical for Apple to amp up its social media presence if it wanted to reach a younger demographic.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

Simply use a bit more tomato paste than the recipe calls for to amp up the flavor.

From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2026

Dalton grunts as he picks up his amp.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Find insight on Banca Generali, Apollo, AMP and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The alternative to this is to build new bespoke plants or retrofit existing facilities with new kit, from companies like Colorado-based AMP.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

Taking a different view was Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at Australia’s AMP.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026

Find insight on BBVA, AMP and more in the latest Market Talks covering Financial Services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

It releases one phosphoric acid group very easily and goes over in the diphosphate, ADP, but it can also lose 2 P-groups as pyrophosphoric acid and leave the monophosphate, AMP.

From History of Phosphorus by Eduard Farber

Added McCartney, “That’s how it is now. You’ll laugh, but when we first started out, we had two guitars and the bass in one amp. Wow — give it up!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2016

“I used to. After...everything happened with my dad, we had to sell a bunch of stuff, so we sold it and my amp. It’s okay. I don’t have anywhere I can play it anymore.”

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

The current is very small, about Page 226 1/10 amp., as it is only necessary to operate the relay which in turn operates the switch or valve.

From The Working of Steel Annealing, Heat Treating and Hardening of Carbon and Alloy Steel by Fred H. (Fred Herbert) Colvin

Total capacity of useful lead per kilo 9.1 amp. hr.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 598, June 18, 1887 by Various

July 10.—Observed the variation of the compass by amp., at sun-rising, to be 7.

From Journals of Two Expeditions into the Interior of New South Wales by John Oxley