amount to nothing

1. To fail to become successful or significant. He got arrested so much as a teenager that I thought he would amount to nothing, but look at him now—he's an accomplished musician! A: "Any new evidence?" B: "Nope. Unfortunately, that tip amounted to nothing." My play has yet to get one positive review, and I'm really worried it will amount to nothing.

2. To result in no tangible or appreciable difference. Well, all of our efforts amounted to nothing in the end, really: the bank decided to foreclose on us regardless of the money we raised. These claims are false. They amount to nothing more than spurious attempts to undermine my credibility in the final weeks of the election. I worked really hard on my pitch, but it all amounted to nothing—the company went with a different ad agency.