mount

¹ American  

[maunt] / 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  

[maunt] / 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

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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”

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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

“Few collections could mount loans of this scale while keeping their home galleries full, and we’re proud to be doing both,” Seta said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

You get a cellphone mount and Bluetooth connectivity.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

Two positive results and the Frenchman will hope he can mount a more consistent upward trend.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

This modification was designed to recruit and stimulate nearby immune cells, including T cells, which can help mount a stronger attack against cancer.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

They were in no mood to mount the assault.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Warsh spoke in Bangkok as global economic pain mounts from rising borrowing costs and higher energy prices due to the Iran war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Apple is closing in on a major milestone as excitement mounts for the company’s new iPhones and artificial-intelligence strategy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

What do you do when a creative team mounts an acclaimed production of a beloved play, breaking box office records as one of the most successful shows in your theater’s more than 100-year history?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The paragliders, which have a range of up to 200 miles, can carry body armour, night vision equipment and weapon mounts.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Jon’s garron shied nervously, and up and down the ranks others fought to still their mounts as well.

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

The situation changed dramatically a year later, when the RSF mounted its siege of el-Fasher.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The museum announced Tuesday that it’s shipping 164 works to the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris for its most extensive exhibition ever mounted outside Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

That also includes CoreWeave, which saw its shares tumble more than 25% last week as debt worries mounted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

“One I finished is being mounted: ‘Not all those who wander are lost.’”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Wemmick’s house was a little wooden cottage in the midst of plots of garden, and the top of it was cut out and painted like a battery mounted with guns.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

With both Ethiopia and Eritrea reinforcing troop deployments along their border, the international community has expressed mounting concern about the risk of a new war.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

European natural-gas prices climbed above €97 a megawatt-hour for the first time since late 2022 as colder weather threatened to lift demand in the face of mounting supply concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Crystal Palace's winless run stretches to four matches as they're beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle, leaving the club just a point outside the relegation zone with the pressure mounting on manager Pierre Sage.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

And those rates — paired with high government spending and concerns over mounting deficits — have pressured the bond market, pushing 10-year Treasury yields to levels not seen since the early 2000s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

We knew that in spite of daily mounting risks we had no choice but to move forward.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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