Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Relatively large but unspecified in number.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective colloq. An indefinite number, usu. more than ten and less than one hundred; a lot. Often used hyperbolically, and usually expressing the notion of more than the usual number or more than I would like.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • determiner informal Relatively large but unspecified in number.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective innumerable but many

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Slang ump(ty), dash in Morse code (of imitative origin) + -teen (as in thirteen).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

umpty (“colloquial name for the dash "—" in Morse code”) +‎ -teen

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Examples

  • LäraBars come in umpteen flavors and also have a chocolate bar counterpart, Jŏcalat.

    LäraBar, Gluten and Dairy-Free Energy Bars Steve Carper 2008

  • Or it might be an indication that Web companies are making the same "invest in umpteen businesses" mistake which leads to big losses when recession hits.

    March 9th, 2006 2006

  • That's the first in umpteen decisions to make, before reaching the end.

    Once Upon . . . 1001 Stories 2006

  • That's the first in umpteen decisions to make, before reaching the end.

    Archive 2006-01-01 2006

  • No one can do there best if they're being torn in umpteen directions after working for twelve hours. .sometimes more.

    U.S. Medical costs 2004

  • We’re not meant to notice that what we’re looking at usually isn’t worth taking the trouble to watch because we’ve watched it a hundred times before in umpteen numbers of movies and TV shows.

    A cynical satirical thriller with a heart 2010

  • We’re not meant to notice that what we’re looking at usually isn’t worth taking the trouble to watch because we’ve watched it a hundred times before in umpteen numbers of movies and TV shows.

    Lance Mannion: 2010

  • If we signed up to these scaremongers, we could be about to waste a gargantuan amount of money on a problem that doesn’t exist – money that could be used in umpteen better ways: Fighting world hunger, providing clean water, developing alternative energy sources, improving our environment, creating jobs.

    Think Progress » Earth’s temperature highest in 400 years. 2006

  • As an avid NPR listener, I recall hearing Nina Totenburg use this phrase umpteen times - even before September 11, 2001.

    unknown title 2009

  • And the phones are ringing off the hook: A socialite demands a table already reserved by a VIP, and Chef demands she get it; a couple "request" that "The Lady Is a Tramp" be sung at their table to celebrate their wedding anniversary, an impossibility, but he is mafia; and then there is Naomi Campbell's frenzied assistant who calls umpteen times to modify their demands for their table of 15.

    RutlandHerald.com 2009

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