amass

IPA/əˈmæs/
KK[əmˈæs]IPA/əˈmæs/

amass — verb

  • amasspresent simple I / you / we / they
  • amasseshe / she / it
  • amassedpast simple
  • amassing-ing form

1. to slowly bring together valuable things — money, possessions, knowledge, or pow

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to slowly bring together valuable things — money, possessions, knowledge, or power — so that over time the total grows very large

例句

Over thirty years, the Lee family amassed a fortune in the real estate business.

collocation: amass a fortune

Professor Eleni had amassed thousands of research notes before she began writing the book.

collocation: amass + research notes / information

同義詞
  • accumulate

    more neutral and slightly more common; 'accumulate' can happen passively (e.g. dust), while 'amass' implies active effort

  • gather

    less formal and for smaller quantities; 'gather' does not suggest an impressive total

  • collect

    more general and everyday; 'collect' can refer to a hobby (collect stamps), while 'amass' implies serious scale or value

  • hoard

    negative connotation of secretive or excessive storing; 'hoard' implies keeping things for selfish reasons

反義詞
  • disperse

    to spread out or break up a collection

  • scatter

    to throw or distribute in different directions

  • squander

    to waste something valuable, opposite of accumulating wealth

文法句型

amass + noun phrase

用法筆記

Object is usually something valuable that grows over time — wealth, knowledge, art, evidence, power, or debt. Not used for everyday small-scale collecting (e.g. 'collect stamps' — not 'amass stamps').

常見錯誤

❌I amassed three books last week.
✅I collected three books last week.
💡'amass' suggests a large, significant quantity gathered over a long time, not a small everyday action.
❌She amassed the mail from the floor.
✅She gathered the mail from the floor.
💡'amass' is for large-scale accumulation, not routine pickup.