From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishamount to something phrasal verb1 TOTALif figures, sums etc amount to a particular total, they equal that total when they are added together Time lost through illness amounted to 1,357 working days.2 BEif an attitude, remark, situation etc amounts to something, it has the same effect The court’s decision amounts to a not guilty verdict. Ultimately, their ideas amount to the same thing.3 not amount to much/anything/a great deal etcUNIMPORTANT to not be important, valuable, or successful Her academic achievements don’t amount to much. Jim’s never going to amount to much. → amount→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
amount to the same thing• She may not have killed him herself, but helping Dave to do it amounts to the same thing.• And even if it is not significant, it has the potential to be so-which amounts to the same thing.• Charges often amount to the same thing.• Since it formed a halo over the puck, did that amount to the same thing?• When electrical currents flow they produce magnetic fields and so it is possible that these two therapies amount to the same thing.• And literature will amount to the same thing: all writers are copycats.From Longman Business Dictionaryamount to something phrasal verb [transitive] if something amounts to a particular total, the different parts add up to that totalEarnings per share amounted to 16.8p.Total government income amounted to about £180,000 million. → amount→ See Verb table 