volume

American  

[vol-yoom, -yuhm] / ˈvɒl jum, -jəm /

noun

volumes plural

1. a collection of written or printed sheets bound together and constituting a book.

2. one book of a related set or series.

3. a set of issues of a periodical, often covering one year.

4. History/Historical. a roll of papyrus, parchment, or the like, or of manuscript.

5. the amount of space, measured in cubic units, that an object or substance occupies.

6. a mass or quantity, especially a large quantity, of something.

   a volume of mail.

7. amount; total.

   the volume of sales.

8. the degree of sound intensity or audibility; loudness.

   to turn up the volume on a radio.

9. fullness or quantity of tone.

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idioms

1. speak volumes,

   1. to be very evident or significant.

      Her testimony spoke volumes.

   2. to be expressive or meaningful.

      Your eyes speak volumes.

volume British  

/ ˈvɒljuːm /

noun

1.  V.  the magnitude of the three-dimensional space enclosed within or occupied by an object, geometric solid, etc

2. a large mass or quantity

   the volume of protest

3. an amount or total

   the volume of exports

4. fullness or intensity of tone or sound

5. the control on a radio, etc, for adjusting the intensity of sound

6. a bound collection of printed or written pages; book

7. any of several books either bound in an identical format or part of a series

8. the complete set of issues of a periodical over a specified period, esp one year

9. history a roll or scroll of parchment, papyrus, etc

10. to convey much significant information

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volume Scientific  

/ vŏl′yo̅o̅m /

1. The amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional object or region of space. Volumes are expressed in cubic units.

2. A measure of the loudness or intensity of a sound.

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volume Cultural  

1. In mathematics, the amount of space occupied by an object measured in three dimensions, expressed in cubic units. In physics, the loudness of a sound.

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volume More Idioms  

1. see speak volumes.

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Synonym Usage

See size ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• volumes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of volume

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English volum(e), from Middle French, from Latin volūmen “roll (of sheets),” from volū- (base of volvere “to roll, turn, twist”) + -men, noun suffix

Explanation

Volume can mean how much space something takes up. You could measure a bean's volume by placing it in water and measuring the water's rise. You can also use volume as you measure sound or the number of books in a series. Your mom might demand that you turn down the volume on your stereo as she reaches for the next volume of Dante's Divine Comedy. She would rather read about Hell in silence.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

volume volumes

“Starship is critical to SpaceX’s Starlink and AI roadmap, both of which require payload mass and volume that Falcon 9 cannot efficiently support,” Yu wrote in a note.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The volume was enough to provide water to two million people, or the equivalent of 700 million pints, the company added.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

And while the international business showed strong growth, the North America volume in the snacks business was flat despite a second consecutive quarter of price cuts — and the beverages business remained a problem.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

If you take the first half of the year, volume has grown 1%, which is a big improvement from the previous couple of years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

My voice grows in both volume and power as I think about everything from my former life that’s gone forever.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

It predicted that for the whole financial year up to the end of August, sales volumes would be down about one percent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Although DNA based data storage remains a long term goal because it would require manufacturing DNA at an enormous scale, the researchers believe water based enzymatic synthesis could become increasingly attractive as production volumes grow.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

Barry Callebaut said sales volumes increased for the first time in two years in the quarter from March to May this year, as it revealed its latest results.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

The agency blamed the financial distress on decreasing mail and package volumes while its labor and employee benefits costs have increased significantly.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

Every year Earth’s rivers carried massive volumes of eroded material–500 million tons of calcium, for instance–to the seas.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• amount
• figure
• number
• quantity
• size
• total