amp
noun (1)
\ ˈamp
\
\
Definition of amp
(Entry 1 of 3)
amp
verb
amped;
amping;
amps
Definition of amp (Entry 2 of 3)
1
informal
: to make (someone) more excited or energetic : excite, energize
Players either get amped by the electricity of the event or founder in the ambient chaos.— Jon Wertheim
—often used with up When Smith came out to accept her trophy, Bieber smothered her with kisses, and then pumped his fist to amp up the crowd …— Melissa Ruggieri
2
: to make (something) more intense : heighten, intensify
The violence is amped by the presence of automatic weapons and gyrating camerawork, but it all feels very familiar.— Kevin Crust
—usually used with up The fledgling studio that wound up making the film … knew that it had teenage girls in its pocket, and wisely amped up the action scenes in the trailer in an attempt to snag male viewers as well.— Karen ValbyRoasting the pork at a low temperature in a spiced salt mixture amps up the flavor of the meat and makes it extra-tender.— Gabrielle Hamilton
3
: to increase the amount of (something) : raise
In this convention year … the stakes have been amped.— Charles McGrath
—usually used with up As investors get used to steady returns, they start borrowing to amp up gains … and buying increasingly dubious stuff …— Pat Regnier… the producers always need to amp up the stakes, and, this season, there are a few new twists …— Andy Edelstein
— see also amped, amped-up
AMP
noun (2)
\ ˌā-ˌem-ˈpē
\
\
Definition of AMP (Entry 3 of 3)
: a nucleotide C10H12N5O3H2PO4 composed of adenosine and one phosphate group that is reversibly convertible to ADP and ATP in metabolic reactions
— called also adenosine monophosphate, adenylic acid
— compare cyclic ampExamples of amp in a Sentence
Noun (1)
He plugged his guitar into the amp.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
For recording sessions, Johnson often played a Telecaster, Strat or orange Gretsch 6120 guitar through a Fender Vibrolux amp. — Matt Wake | [email protected], al, "Swampers guitarist Jimmy Johnson has died," 5 Sep. 2019 Set the car charger to no more than 20 amps, then connect the charger to the terminals on the dead battery. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How To Jumpstart a Dead Tool Battery," 6 July 2019 Swap out shades for a colorful pop, amp up the traditional style with a classic fabric, or embrace cool, minimalist white. — Lauren Hubbard, ELLE Decor, "Classic Pieces Every Room in Your Home Needs," 3 July 2019 The single nod to Pride was a small rainbow flag that dangled limply from an amp on the stage. — Aaron Hicklin, New York Times, "Lester Holt, NBC News Anchor, Moonlights as a Rocker," 27 July 2019 Juno has passed over both of Jupiter's polar regions every 53 days, according to the study's abstract, and found that direct current was approximately 50 million amps, not as high as theoretical models would suggest, according to Live Science. — Fox News, "Mysterious alternating currents found on Jupiter," 17 July 2019 These pre-amps are connected at the antenna and send the signal down the line for longer distances. — Jim Rossman, Dallas News, "Splitting your antenna to feed multiple TVs might require an amplifier," 20 June 2019 Many of those women musicians realize that social media platforms can be more powerful than Marshall amps cranked to 11. — Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, "Is the music industry finally facing its #MeToo moment?," 8 Mar. 2019 In front of giant prop amps, Hoppus and Skiba traded the microphone and fumbled through their parts, which were muffled by the amphitheater’s sound system in a way their pristine records never were. — Chris Kelly, Washington Post, "Nobody on stage seemed to be having fun at Lil Wayne and Blink-182’s nostalgia show," 12 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
To amp up the cool, trade in the standard, long-sleeved button-down for a more daring version. — Town & Country, "How to Wear a Classic White Button-Down Shirt for Any Occasion," 3 Sep. 2019 Spencer Morrow, who plays chimneysweep Bert, also uses a harness to amp up his frolics on the rooftops of London. — Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, "How St. Luke’s puts the magic in ‘Mary Poppins’," 13 Aug. 2019 To amp the scenery even further, the property is surrounded by a bird sanctuary. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "The world’s best waterfront restaurants promise more than a view," 23 July 2019 If the Amber Alert was fake, too, that would be worst of all, amping our sense of real-world danger in service of a play that in no way needs that kind of aid. — New York Times, "The Cell, the Spell and the Mystery of ‘Sea Wall/A Life’," 27 Aug. 2019 The Tigers are more likely to be amped for those trips, and Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman has enough talent to put a scare into a lethargic bunch of Tigers. — Los Angeles Times, "College football 2019: Which games could provide this year’s major upset?," 23 Aug. 2019 The black beans could use more oomph, and tilapia isn’t my first choice for tiradito, a cross between sashimi and ceviche amped up here with pureed celery, shrimp and hot sauce and subdued with sweet potato cooked in orange juice. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "Tom Sietsema’s 8 favorite places to eat right now," 21 Aug. 2019 Just about the only local establishment that hasn’t changed since Woodstock is Hector’s Inn—a friendly dive bar that had already been standing for 20 years when the guitar amps at Woodstock were fired up a mile or so away. — Bill Newcott, National Geographic, "For those who were there, Woodstock was a weekend like no other," 8 Aug. 2019 Last night while hosting a rooftop HotelTonight party in Brooklyn, the 31-year-old star amped up the impact of her tiger print Rachel Comey short suit with a striking gilded eye. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Awkwafina’s Gold Glitter Eyes Are a Fool-Proof Strategy for Summer Sparkle," 29 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amp.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for amp
amp
abbreviationMedical Definition of amp
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
amperage
2
ampere
3
ampule
4
amputation
AMP
noun
\ ˌā-ˌem-ˈpē
\
\
Medical Definition of AMP (Entry 2 of 2)
: a nucleotide C10H12N5O3H2PO4 that is composed of adenosine and one phosphate group and is reversibly convertible to ADP and ATP in metabolic reactions
— called also adenosine monophosphate
— compare cyclic amp