amount (redirected from amounted)

amount to something 

1. Lit. [for someone or something] to become worthwhile or successful. I hope Charles amounts to something some day. I doubt that this business will ever amount to anything really profitable.

2. Fig. [for something] to be the equivalent of something. Why, doing this amounts to cheating! Your comments amount to treason.

3. and amount (up) to something [for a sum of money] to increase [to a large amount]. Is that everything you want to buy? That amounts to twenty dollars. These charges amount up to a lot.

amount to much

to be as good as something; to be any good. His fine plans don't amount to much, since he won't work for them. (Usually negative.) She's a nice girl, but she'll never amount to much.

See also: much

amount to the same thing and come to the same thing; add up to the same thing

Fig. to be the same [as something]. Borrowing can be the same as stealing. If the owner does not know what you have borrowed, it amounts to the same thing. With cars—whether they're red or blue—it comes to the same thing.

See also: same, thing

bring an amount of money in

to earn an amount of money; to draw or attract an amount of money. My part-time job brings fifty dollars in every week. She brings in a lot of money from her executive's salary.

See also: bring, money

come out at an amount and come out to an amount

to result in a certain amount, as the result of mathematical computation. The total charges came out at far more than we expected.

See also: come, out

don't amount to a bucket of spit

Rur. is not worth anything. foe's a shiftless cuss. He don't amount to a bucket of spit. All your pretty promises don't amount to a bucket of spit.

See also: bucket, spit

draw against an amount of money

to withdraw money from something in advance. I can draw against my allowance—at least a small amount. You cannot draw against your salary.

See also: against, draw, money

front someone some amount of money

to provide an advance payment of some amount to someone. The buyer fronted me half the purchase price as a favor.

See also: front, money, some

get an amount of money for something

to receive an amount of money in exchange for something; to sell something for a specific price. (See also get something for an amount of money.) I got nearly two thousand dollars for my car. How much did they get for their house?

See also: get, money

live on an amount of money

to live on a specific amount of money; to manage to live on a specific amount of money. Can you live on only that much money? I can live on a very small amount of money.

See also: live, money

live on an amount of money

to live on a specific amount of money; to manage to live on a specific amount of money. Can you live on only that much money? I can live on a very small amount of money.

See also: live, money

lose some amount of time

[for some amount of time] to be wasted. We lost a lot of time waiting for Hermione. He lost no time in getting out of there.

See also: lose, some, time

not worth a hill of beans and not amount to a hill of beans; not worth a plugged nickel; not worth beans

Fig. worthless. Your advice isn't worth a hill of beans. This old cow isn't worth a plugged nickel.

See also: and, bean, hill, worth

oceans of someone or something and an ocean of someone or something

a very large amount of something. The naughty student was in oceans of trouble. After a week of vacation, there was an ocean of work to do.

See also: ocean

out an amount of money

lacking something; having lost or wasted something. I'm out ten bucks because of your miscalculation. I'm out the price of a meal.

See also: money, out

put something at an amount

to price something at a certain amount of money; to estimate something at a certain figure. I would put the charges at about two hundred dollars. She put the damages at nearly two hundred thousand dollars.

See also: put

put an amount of time in on something

to spend an amount of time (doing something). You put how much time in? I put in four months on that project.

See also: put, time

start someone out at an amount of money

to start someone working at a particular salary. We will start you out at $30,000. I wanted to be started out at $35,000.

See also: money, out, start

take an amount of money for something

to charge a certain amount for something. I'll take four thousand for that car there. How much will you take for a big bag of flour?

See also: money, take

throw an amount of light on someone or something

to present some revealing information about someone or something. What you have just told me throws a lot of light on George and his motivation. Will you please throw some light on the problem?

See also: light, throw

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amount to something

to be the same as something else A decrease in student aid amounts to an increase in tuition fees. She thought he was wrong to take what amounts to a stand against greater freedom.

Related vocabulary: add up to something

amount to a hill of beans

to be of little importance You are making yourself miserable over something that amounts to a hill of beans.

See also: bean, hill

amount to the same thing also come to the same thing

to be nearly the same thing, after you consider it She wanted him to suffer and she wanted to punish him, which amounts to the same thing.

See also: same, thing