- pronunciation:
maUnt
- parts of speech:
- noun, verb
- features:
- Language Note, Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
An amount of something is how much there is or how many there are.
We need a large amount of flour to make a hundred cookies.My dad keeps a large amount of pennies in a glass jar.There is only a small amount of milk in the refrigerator.- synonyms:
- number, portion, quantity
- similar words:
- deal, lot, volume
|
| definition 2: |
An amount is a total. If you wanted to buy one thing at a store that costs five dollars and another thing that costs two dollars, the amount you would pay is seven dollars.
You borrowed money from me three times. Now the amount you owe me is twenty dollars.- synonyms:
- number, sum
- similar words:
- extent, figure, lot, portion
|
| related words: |
allowance, charge, cost, degree, magnitude |
|
|
| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
amounts, amounting, amounted |
| definition: |
If the things you want to buy at the store amount to twelve, it means that when you add all of them up, the total of all the things is twelve.
All the coins I found behind the couch amounted to over five dollars.All their work amounted to nothing because they did it all wrong.- synonyms:
- consist, develop, result
- similar words:
- mean, progress
|
Amount or
number? Which word is right for your sentence? Use
amount when you are telling how much there is of something that cannot be counted in numbers.
A large amount of lava shot out of the volcano.
Use
number when you are telling how many there are of something that can be counted.
A great number of rocks tumbled down the mountain. Remember , the word
quantity may be used both with things that can be counted and with things that cannot be counted.
Antarctica is covered by a great quantity of ice. A large quantity of penguins live in that frigid land.
Amount comes from
amonter, an early French word that means "to go up" or "rise." The French word is from a Latin phrase that means "to the mountain."