mount

¹ American  

[mount] / maʊnt /

verb (used with object)

• mounts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mounted,
  past participle,  past
• mounting
  present participle

1. to go up; climb; ascend.

   to mount stairs.

   Synonyms:

   scale

   Antonyms:

   descend

2. to get up on (a platform, a horse, etc.).

3. to set or place at an elevation.

   to mount a house on stilts.

4. to furnish with a horse or other animal for riding.

5. to set or place (a person) on horseback.

6. to organize, as an army.

7. to prepare and launch, as an attack or a campaign.

8. to raise or put into position for use, as a gun.

9. (of a fortress or warship) to have or carry (guns) in position for use.

10. to go or put on guard, as a sentry or watch.

11. to attach to or fix on or in a support, backing, setting, etc..

    to mount a photograph; to mount a diamond in a ring.

12. to arrange for display.

    to mount a museum exhibit.

13. to provide (a play, musical comedy, opera, etc.) with scenery, costumes, and other equipment for production.

14. to prepare (an animal body or skeleton) as a specimen.

15. (of a male animal) to climb upon (a female) for copulation.

16. Microscopy.

    1. to prepare (a slide) for microscopic investigation.

    2. to prepare (a sample) for examination by a microscope, as by placing it on a slide.

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verb (used without object)

• mounts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mounted,
  past participle,  past
• mounting
  present participle

1. to increase in amount or intensity (often followed byup ).

   The cost of all those small purchases mounts up.

2. to get up on the back of a horse or other animal for riding.

3. to rise or go to a higher position, level, degree, etc.; ascend.

   Synonyms:

   soar

4. to get up on something, as a platform.

noun

1. the act or a manner of mounting.

2. a horse, other animal, or sometimes a vehicle, as a bicycle, used, provided, or available for riding.

   Synonyms:

   palfrey, charger, steed, horse

3. an act or occasion of riding a horse, especially in a race.

4. a support, backing, setting, or the like, on or in which something is, or is to be, mounted or fixed.

5. an ornamental metal piece applied to a piece of wooden furniture.

6. Microscopy. a prepared slide.

7. a distinctive metal feature on a sheath or scabbard, as a locket or chape.

8. Philately. hinge.

9. Printing. a wooden or metal block to which a plate is secured for printing.

mount ² American  

[mount] / maʊnt /

noun

Chiefly Literary.

1. a mountain: often used as part of a placename.

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mount ¹ British  

/ maʊnt /

verb

1. to go up (a hill, stairs, etc); climb

2. to get up on (a horse, a platform, etc)

3. io increase; accumulate

   excitement mounted

4. (tr) to fix onto a backing, setting, or support

   to mount a photograph

   to mount a slide

5. (tr) to provide with a horse for riding, or to place on a horse

6. (of male animals) to climb onto (a female animal) for copulation

7. (tr) to prepare (a play, musical comedy, etc) for production

8. (tr) to plan and organize (a compaign, an exhibition, etc)

9. (tr) military to prepare or launch (an operation)

   the Allies mounted an offensive

10. (tr) to prepare (a skeleton, dead animal, etc) for exhibition as a specimen

11. (tr) to place or carry (weapons) in such a position that they can be fired

12. See guard

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noun

1. a backing, setting, or support onto which something is fixed

2. the act or manner of mounting

3. a horse for riding

4. a slide used in microscopy

5. philately

   1. a small transparent pocket in an album for a postage stamp

   2. another word for hinge

mount ² British  

/ maʊnt /

noun

1. a mountain or hill: used in literature and (when cap.) in proper names

   Mount Everest

2. (in palmistry) any of the seven cushions of flesh on the palm of the hand

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Synonym Usage

See climb.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mounter
  noun
• mountable
  adjective
• mountless
  adjective
• unmountable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• mounting
  present
• mounted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mount
  simple
• mounts
  simple
• have mounted
  perfect
• has mounted
  perfect
• am mounting
  progressive
• are mounting
  progressive
• is mounting
  progressive
• have been mounting
  perfect progressive
• has been mounting
  perfect progressive

Past

• mounted
  simple
• had mounted
  perfect
• was mounting
  progressive
• were mounting
  progressive
• had been mounting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mount
  simple
• will have mounted
  perfect
• will be mounting
  progressive
• will have been mounting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mount¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mounten, from Old French munter, monter, Vulgar Latin (unattested) montāre, derivative of Latin mont- (stem of mōns ) mount ²

Origin of mount²

First recorded before 900; Middle English mount(e), mont, munt(e), Old English munt “mount, hill, mountain,” from Latin mont- (inflectional stem of mōns ) “mountain, hill”

Explanation

To mount is to climb up something, like a ladder, or get on the back of something, like a horse. You can also mount something on another object, like a camera on a tripod or a sticker on a notebook. The word mountain can help you remember that one way to mount is to climb. You can mount a mountain or a flight of stairs. You can also mount a pony by getting on its back or a bicycle by climbing onto it. The oldest meaning of mount is, in fact, "mountain," from the Old French word mont, which has its root in the Latin montem for “mountain."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mount mounts mounted mounting

Malcolm was arrested and released on bail after the first report, but evidence continued to mount and officers urged Amy to make her own statement.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Scores of women queued at a school sheltering Nepal flood victims, jostling to receive personal-care supplies, as concerns over sanitation and menstrual hygiene mount days after the catastrophic disaster.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

Cocoa futures, for example, have been rising as fears mount that the coming months could see a repeat of the 2023-2024 El Niño.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

However, in the near term, signs that prices for Treasury notes and bonds have fallen too far, too fast, continue to mount.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

We went; following the superintendent’s guidance, we had to thread some intricate passages, and mount a staircase before we reached her apartment; it contained a good fire, and looked cheerful.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Her disclosure came as speculation mounts over her political future.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

But while he mounts his defence against a host of critics, speculation has fallen on who Zelensky might choose to replace him.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Dissatisfaction is building in L.A. as the city’s cost of living mounts and a new generation of young Angelenos are unable to buy homes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

The big V6 doesn’t make so much of a stir so it can get by with hydroelastic mounts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Some had bear-paws for their horses too, and the shaggy little garrons wore them as easily as other mounts wore iron horseshoes ... but the palfreys and destriers wanted no part of them.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Others are placed onto table frames fixed to the ocean floor, and yet others are mounted onto plugs, screwed into a three-hole "cookie" and planted onto the reef.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Ukraine is an EU candidate country, a status it was granted on condition it mounted a credible fight against corruption.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

The summer performance tires mounted on 22-inch forged aluminum wheels together added $5,870 to the bill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

City officials said on Instagram that city crews have removed electrical lines mounted to nearby palm trees that are at risk of falling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

In time, they reached a weathered door illuminated by a single sconce mounted to the wall.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

The mounting deaths in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data have drawn little scrutiny or response.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

The push overseas faces challenges, including intense competition and mounting regulatory scrutiny from U.S. politicians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The report noted that "mounting evidence" suggested extremists in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf "were aware" the attack had been imminent.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Between outrage from voters fearing higher energy and water bills, representatives fearing blame and obstacles from federal regulators, the challenges are mounting for Big Tech companies looking to meet the demand for AI.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

“Nerissa knows many things. She has the gift,” said a boy mounting a golden bat beside him.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• build
• escalate
• expand
• heighten
• intensify
• rise