amount

1 of 2

verb

amounted; amounting; amounts

intransitive verb

1
a
: to be the same in meaning or effect as
acts that amount to treason
b
: to reach in kind or quality : to turn out to be
wanted her son to amount to something [=to be successful]
The changes don't really amount to much. [=are not really substantial or significant]
2
: to reach a total : add up
The bill amounts to $10.

amount

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the total number or quantity : aggregate
trying to figure the amount of time it will take
b
: the quantity at hand or under consideration
has an enormous amount of energy
2
: the whole effect, significance, or import
3
accounting : a principal sum and the interest on it
Amount vs. Number: Usage Guide

Number is regularly used with count nouns

a large number of mistakes
any number of times

while amount is mainly used with mass nouns.

annual amount of rainfall
a substantial amount of money

The use of amount with count nouns has been frequently criticized; it usually occurs when the number of things is thought of as a mass or collection

glad to furnish any amount of black pebbles New Yorker
a substantial amount of film offers Lily Tomlin

or when money is involved.

a substantial amount of loans E. R. Black

Examples of amount in a Sentence

Verb the expenses of the trip amounted to nearly double what we'd budgeted for it makes no difference whether you're going to the game or the movies, for it amounts to the same thing—that you can't babysit Noun The drug is not being produced in adequate amounts. What is the amount to be paid? An amount was finally agreed upon. The new law limits the amount a candidate can spend. When he died we found he owed money to the amount of $250,000!
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Additionally, the average funding amounts women received jumped by 25% from 2023 to 2024. Rohit Arora, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025 New precipitation amounts from three quarters to one inch are possible, according to the National Weather Service. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
Additionally, the infrastructure would need to be maintained and the amounts collected will not practically scale to the amount of water used by large communities. Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025 This could dramatically increase the amount of forest burned in the southern Appalachians, according to a 2024 study. Kiley Price, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for amount

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English amounten "to mount (a horse), increase, (of a sum, period of time) add up (to), come (to), be worth, be equal (to)," borrowed from Anglo-French amunter, amounter (continental Old French amonter) "to rise, increase, be worth, add up (to)," derivative of amunt, amount (continental Old French amont) "above, upward," univerbation of the adverbial phrase a mont "upward," literally "to the mountain," from a "to" (going back to Latin ad) + mont "mountain," going back to Latin mont-, mons — more at ad-, mount entry 1

Note: Alternatively Old French and Anglo-French amunter, amonter could be taken as a derivative of munter, monter "to mount" (see mount entry 2) with the prefix a-, usually forming transitive verbs. Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch lists the verb under both the etymon mons and *montare.

Noun

Middle English amunte, borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative of amunter "to rise, increase, be worth, add up (to)" — more at amount entry 1

Note: The noun is sparsely attested in Middle English and Anglo-French, and the post-medieval English noun should probably be taken as directly derived from the verb amount entry 1.

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of amount was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Amount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amount. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

amount

1 of 2 verb
1
: to add up
the bill amounted to ten dollars
2
: to be the same in meaning or effect
acts that amount to treason

amount

2 of 2 noun
1
: the total number or quantity : aggregate
the amount to be paid
2
: a given or particular quantity or number
add the same amount to both columns

More from Merriam-Webster on amount

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!