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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  

/ æmp /

noun

1. an ampere

2. informal an amplifier

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verb

1. informal to excite or become excited

AMP ³ British  

abbreviation

1. adenosine monophosphate

2. Australian Mutual Provident Society

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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.

Guitars, as heard on songs like “Opening in the Gate,” often seem like they are plugged directly into the recording console rather than into an amp, emphasizing their buzzy electrical quality rather than room-shaking distortion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

It’s hard to see anyone but the most rabid Wings fan interested in, say, guitarist Laurence Juber’s amp or similar artifacts from the horn section, but on the other hand, this is a Wings retrospective.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

Anchoring the rhythm section with him was bassist Bill Wyman, who was recruited more for his spare VOX AC30 amp that the guitarists could plug into than for his musical skills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

To amp up tax-loss harvesting, consider a tax-optimized separately managed account.

From Barron's ● Mar. 21, 2026

“Yeah, okay,” he says, trying to hide a flinch as Sienna gets too close to her amp.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

AMP said the 1H contribution from China Partnerships, which includes China Life Pension Company, would be some A$56 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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

On Friday, the AMP said port operator APM Terminals, part of the Maersk Group, would be a "temporary administrator" of the Balboa and Cristobal ports on either end of the waterway.

From Barron's ● Jan. 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 Farber, Eduard

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 final value of the current will be 0.025 amp. or 25 milliamperes.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 787, January 31, 1891 by Various

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

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

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 Colvin, Fred H. (Fred Herbert)