amount
amount
I
/əˈmaʊnt/ noun , pl amounts [ count ]
1 : a quantity of something
The drug is not being produced in adequate amounts.
— usually + of
They are not producing an adequate amount of the drug. [=they are not producing enough of the drug]
A considerable/fair/great/large/tremendous amount of research went into the report.
Be sure to add the right amount of salt.
She spent amazing/enormous amounts of time planning her garden.
There's a certain amount of truth to/in what you say. [=there is some truth in what you say]
The new law limits the amount of money a candidate can spend.
We have any amount of available resources. = We have a large amount of available resources.
No amount of money can make up for their loss. [=money cannot make up for their loss]
2 : a quantity of money
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/in the amount of $250,000!
usage
Amount is chiefly used with noncount nouns.
He lost a large amount of money.
a minimum amount of effort
They provided only a small amount of information.
It is also sometimes used with plural count nouns, but this use is often criticized as an error.
There were a large amount of mistakes.
Number is the usual word in such contexts.
a large number of mistakes
an increasing number of problems
————————
II
verb , amounts, amount·ed, amount·ing
amount to [ phrasal verb ]
amount to (something)
1 : to produce (a total) when added together
The bill amounted to 10 dollars.
They have debts amounting to thousands of dollars.
The number of people taking part amounted to no more than a few hundred.
2 : to turn out to be (something or someone important, impressive, etc.)
The problems didn't amount to much. [=the problems were not very bad]
I don't think he'll ever amount to anything. [=achieve success]
3 : to be the same in meaning or effect as (something)
acts that amount to treason
Anything less than total victory would amount to failure/failing. [=would be the same as failure/failing]