What does "amount" mean?
The total, aggregate or sum of material (not applicable to discrete numbers or units or items in standard English).
Amount
/əˈmaʊnt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The total, aggregate or sum of material (not applicable to discrete numbers or units or items in standard English).
- Grammar: amount is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: quantity, sum, total, a number.
- Useful contrasts: decrease, minimize, nil.
- Usage evidence: Brian repeatedly told Chris that he owed him a pretty large amount of money.
How to use "amount"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "amount" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "amount" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "amount" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "amount" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "amount" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "quantity" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "amount", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The total, aggregate or sum of material (not applicable to discrete numbers or units or items in standard English).
"The amount of atmospheric pollution threatens a health crisis."
- 2 how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify wordnet
- 3 A quantity or volume.
"Pour a small amount of water into the dish."
- 4 the relative magnitude of something with reference to a criterion wordnet
- 5 The number (the sum) of elements in a set. nonstandard, proscribed, sometimes
"The final amount of students who have participated to mobility for the period 1995-1999 is held to be around 460 000."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a quantity obtained by the addition of a group of numbers wordnet
- 7 a quantity of money wordnet
Verb
- 1 To total or evaluate. intransitive, with-to
"The money in my pocket amounts to three dollars and change."
- 2 to measure up to in kind or quality wordnet
- 3 To be the tantamount to; to reach up to the level of. intransitive, with-to
"He was a pretty good student, but never amounted to much professionally."
- 4 add up in number or quantity wordnet
- 5 To go up; to ascend. intransitive, obsolete
"So up he rose, and thence amounted straight."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 be tantamount or equivalent to wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Brian repeatedly told Chris that he owed him a pretty large amount of money."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "amount"?
Common synonyms include: quantity, sum, total, a number, account, accumulate at center.
How do you use "amount" in a sentence?
Brian repeatedly told Chris that he owed him a pretty large amount of money.
How do you pronounce "amount"?
Pronounced /əˈmaʊnt/.
Etymology
From Middle English amounten (“to mount up to, come up to, signify”), from Old French amonter (“to amount to”), from amont, amunt (“uphill, upward”), from the prepositional phrase a mont (“toward or to a mountain or heap”), from Latin ad montem, from ad (“to”) + montem, accusative of mons (“mountain”).