amp

Etymology

noun

1. (colloquial, countable) Short for ampere.
2. (colloquial, countable) Short for amplifier.
3. (colloquial, countable) Short for ampoule.
   The physician had included a note which said: "Dear Miss ........, I could not get the name of your friend over the phone so I am sending two prescriptions for Methedrine amps and one prescription for Drinalfa ten cc vials. 1963, Washington (State). Legislature. Joint Committee on Governmental Cooperation, Report and Recommendations (page 45)
4. (colloquial, countable) Short for amputee.
5. (colloquial, uncountable) Short for ampicillin.

verb

1. (colloquial, usually with up) To amplify.
   He asked the disk jockey to amp it up.
2. (colloquial, usually with up) To excite.
   In the distance, the music thumped, amping the crowd higher. 2012, Natalie Anderson, First Time Lucky?, page 78
   And it's raining, a little bit of drizzle, but the crowd is amped up and ready for a big event today. 2013, Hansi Lo Wang, “Morning Edition”, in National Public Radio
3. (colloquial, usually with up) To intensify or increase.
   Amping the Justin Timberlake cameos and revving up Jiggytron 5000, these Peas want to be on Middle America's fickle plate — losing little dread-whippin' imaginativeness in the wizzash. 2003, CMJ New Music Monthly, number 115, page 42
   2014, Andy Paul, Amp Up Your Sales, AMACOM Books
4. (colloquial, usually with up) To connect to amplifiers.
   and even the Velvet Underground were still only amping up conventional instruments 2015, Kris Needs, Suicide: Dream Baby Dream, A New York City Story