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
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 2019 Ford points out that these idle tests were performed with the A/C set to full cool, fan on 4, the radio on, and an additional 32 amps to simulate the active use of emergency lights, a computer, and a police radio while idling. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid AWD Saves Fuel, Hauls Ass," 17 May 2019 Another study by food scientists at Cornell University also showed in 2015 that the noise level on flights tamps down sweet flavors but amps up umami tastes in substances like tomato juice. — Author: Hannah Sampson, Anchorage Daily News, "'Mile Cry Club’: Why human emotions and senses go haywire on a plane," 21 June 2019 The amp provides Windows Sonic surround sound on Xbox One, and DTS 7.1 surround sound on PS4. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Turtle Beach’s new Elite Pro 2 gaming headset comes with a metal headband and ‘SuperAmp’," 29 Aug. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
That divisiveness has amped up again in recent years, Gerber argues, because many immigrants have arrived illegally, and the secure, well-paying factory jobs that long ushered newcomers into the middle class have disappeared. — oregonlive.com, "Wordless terror and the world’s refugees: Steve Duin," 2 Aug. 2019 Pumbaa’s fart jokes have been amped up, which has the unfortunate effect of making them less funny. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "The Lion King remake isn’t a better movie, but it did a few things better than the original.," 17 July 2019 Construction is ongoing, and has amped up to seven days per week. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al.com, "It’s crunch time for Sidewalk Film Festival and new cinema at Pizitz," 11 July 2019 The show has also amped up the horror and the humor, while introducing new characters both adorable (Maya Hawke’s Robin) and annoying (Priah Ferguson’s Erica). — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "Some TV series are more like movie sequels, and it’s not always a good thing," 10 July 2019 But the president has noticeably amped up his criticism of late of the news division, going after the network’s Democratic town halls, use of poll numbers unfavorable to him and Sunday morning host Chris Wallace. — Joey Morona, cleveland.com, "Trump goes after Fox News again. What set him off this time?," 8 July 2019 Fan and her stylist Min Rui have amped up the drama countless times over the years, but her McQueen outfit proved the pair can do demure, as well. — Vogue, "Fan Bingbing Returns in Stunning Fashion," 24 Apr. 2019 All in all, season 10 has certainly amped up the competition, and that includes the marvelous music moments. — Henry Youtt, Billboard, "Top 5 Music Moments From 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 10," 19 June 2018 Take the opportunity to not only eat them, but artfully arrange them in swirls atop a bed of greens with crunchy little sunflower seeds, crispy bacon and a warm dressing with bacon and nectarine preserves to amp up the nectarine. — Kari Sonde, Washington Post, "Make peak fruit season your peak salad season with these 10 fresh recipes," 22 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
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