umpteen

American  

[uhmp-teen] / ˈʌmpˈtin /

Also umpsteen

adjective

Informal.

1. innumerable; many.

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umpteen British  

/ ˌʌmpˈtiːn /

determiner

1. informal

   1. very many

      umpteen things to do

   2. ( as pronoun )

      umpteen of them came

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Other Word Forms

• umpteenth noun

Etymology

Origin of umpteen

1915–20; ump(ty) , fanciful designation for an indeterminate number (with -ty as in twenty, etc.) + -teen

Explanation

Use this informal word when you want to emphasize a large but vague quantity. If you get umpteen text messages from your friend reminding you to return the sweatshirt you borrowed, you know she really wants it back. Use umpteen when you have so many of something that it's not even worth counting them. It's kind of like saying "a zillion." If the smell of your dirty gym clothes is wafting into the hallway, your parents might complain, "We have told you umpteen times to clean up your room!" Umpteen started as World War I Army slang, from umpty which means either "of an indefinite number" or "dash" in Morse code.

Example Sentences

It blossomed with her friends and umpteen pen pals and reached full flower at the Malibu Cinema, the movie theater that she and her husband operated for two decades in the heart of Malibu.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2025

Of course there were umpteen great reasons why Dietz would be so excited at the prospect of Ryan overseeing the adaptation, which has since been retitled “What Happens Later.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023

I mean, I didn't even know what a Kardashian was for umpteen years, and I led a blessed existence until someone finally, I said, "What's a Kardashian?"

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023

England have tried umpteen plans against Smith, but are more likely to find success on a good length with the ball moving back towards him.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2023

I’d been through this umpteen times before but it never gets any easier.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool