amount
Americannoun
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the sum total of two or more quantities or sums; aggregate.
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the sum of the principal and interest of a loan.
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quantity; measure.
a great amount of resistance.
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the full effect, value, or significance.
verb (used without object)
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to total; add (usually followed byto ).
The repair bill amounts to $300.
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to reach, extend, or be equal in number, quantity, effect, etc.; be equivalent (usually followed byto ).
It is stated differently but amounts to the same thing.
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to develop into; become (usually followed byto ).
With his intelligence, he should amount to something when he grows up.
noun
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extent; quantity; supply
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the total of two or more quantities; sum
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the full value, effect, or significance of something
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a principal sum plus the interest on it, as in a loan
verb
Usage
The use of a plural noun after amount of (an amount of bananas; the amount of refugees ) should be avoided: a quantity of bananas; the number of refugees
Commonly Confused
The traditional distinction between amount and number is that amount is used with mass or uncountable nouns ( the amount of paperwork; the amount of energy ) and number with countable nouns ( a number of songs; a number of days ). Although objected to, the use of amount instead of number with countable nouns occurs in both speech and writing, especially when the noun can be considered as a unit or group ( the amount of people present; the amount of weapons ) or when it refers to money ( the amount of dollars paid; the amount of pennies in the till ).
Etymology
Origin of amount
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb amounten, amunten, from Anglo-French amo(u)nter, amunter, Old French amonter literally, “to go up, ascend,” probably a- + monter; noun use of verb from early 18th century; a- 5, mount 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"There is an infinite amount of money you can spend on a wedding… for me the day is about the people and the environment, not about what I wear," said the 26-year-old.
From BBC
They might have spent months planning their trip - and considerable amounts of money, too.
From BBC
In small doses, they can cause fever, tiredness and aches, but in large amounts, they can trigger life-threatening conditions like septic shock.
From BBC
“No amount of intimidation or punishment from the Department of War will change our position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. We will challenge any supply chain risk designation in court.”
From Barron's
In the grand scheme of things, Rangers fans don't have a huge amount to complain about.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
