umpteen

[ uhmp-teen ]

/ ˈʌmpˈtin /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for umpteen on Thesaurus.com

adjective Informal.

innumerable; many.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also ump·steen

[uhmp-steen], /ˈʌmpˈstin/, umteen .

Origin of umpteen

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

Words nearby umpteen

Umnak Island, ump, umpie, umpirage, umpire, umpteen, umpteenth, umpty-umpth, ʿumrah, UMT, Umtali

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use umpteen in a sentence

In four previous lessons over the past decade-plus, I’d managed umpteen wipeouts and a brief half-second of nearly standing upright.
A Maui vacation in three acts|Alex Pulaski|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Go back and listen to Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” or Tove Lo’s “Talking Body,” or Ellie Goulding’s “Around U,” or Daya’s “Hide Away,” or Selena Gomez’s “Sober,” or umpteen others that each seemed to be shouting for our attention.
Sophie pushed feel-good music toward a boundary that might not exist|Chris Richards|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Fifty states, umpteen localities, all of them with different rules not only about the rate of tax, but which items are exempt.
Congress Is Considering a Bill to Make Internet Firms Collect Sales Tax. Here’s Why They Shouldn’t Pass It.|Megan McArdle|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And predictably Clinton found umpteen opportunities to brag about himself, his initiatives, his wife, his record in office.
Ex-Bush Aide on How Bill Clinton’s Speech Bested Mitt Romney’s|Matt Latimer|September 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

I got home at 1:30 AM and there were umpteen frantic messages from my friends.
They Murdered My Friend|Sandra McElwaine|November 17, 2008|DAILY BEAST
I've made my fortune three times over, and I've got umpteen thousands more than I need for myself or Mothereen.
Vision House|C. N. Williamson
We dug, if you please, into an old city, and broke into tombs umpteen thousand years old.
"Over There" with the Australians|R. Hugh Knyvett
Zeligs of umpteen disguises and ever changing, shimmering loyalties.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
Inherited umpteen million bucks, and plays around all the time.
Mask of Death|Paul Ernst
And at that it's five o'clock before I'm landed at a little flag station umpteen miles beyond nowhere.
Torchy|Sewell Ford

British Dictionary definitions for umpteen

umpteen

/ (ˌʌmpˈtiːn) /

determiner

informal

very manyumpteen things to do
(as pronoun)umpteen of them came

Derived forms of umpteen

umpteenth, noun, adjective

Word Origin for umpteen

C20: from umpty a great deal (perhaps from -enty as in twenty) + -teen ten

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

umpteen

Origin of umpteen

Words nearby umpteen

Words related to umpteen

How to use umpteen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for umpteen

Derived forms of umpteen

Word Origin for umpteen