lexicow

amass

/əˈmæs//əˈmæs/·verb
A cloaked figure tips a sack and gold runs out of it in a bright stream, coin after coin clattering onto a heap that is already too big to step around. He does not stop to sort or count; the only thing that matters is that the heap gets larger. A goblet surfaces, then a crown, then a jewel throwing back the lamplight, and still he pours, until the mound stands taller than he does and he is reaching for one more sack. Whatever this was first for, the having of it has become the whole point.
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Definition

To amass is to gather a great quantity on purpose — a fortune, an army, a vast collection, power. Where things accumulate almost on their own and you gather whatever is to hand, to amass is to build up a large amount through deliberate effort, with the emphasis on sheer size. It often carries a tint of ambition or greed: people amass wealth, regimes amass weapons. From the Latin massa, 'a lump', what you amass ends up a substantial, weighty whole.

Examples

  • Over four decades the family amassed a fortune that their rivals could only watch disperse.
  • The collector had amassed thousands of rare stamps before deciding to collect only the gold ones.
  • Generals who amass weapons faster than rivals can build up their own gain a dangerous edge.

Collocations

amass a fortune·amass wealth·amass power·amass evidence·amass an army

Synonyms

accumulate·gather·collect·build up·hoard

Antonyms

dissipate·disperse·squander

See also

Word family

amassment (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

A formal verb for gathering a large quantity by effort, with a frequent note of ambition or greed: 'amass a fortune', 'amass power'. Keep it apart from its near-synonyms — accumulate is more passive and neutral, gather is the general bring-together, while amass stresses deliberate effort and sheer bulk. It collocates with wealth, power, evidence and weapons.