volume

Use the word "volume" to describe an amount of sound.

• The volume on the TV is too high.
• Turn down the volume.
• Could you lower the volume a little, please?
• Why is the volume so high?
• I can’t hear the radio. Turn up the volume.
• Turn the volume knob to the right to increase the sound.

A radio has a volume knob.

Volume also referrs to an amount of space for gas, liquid, or a solid matter within a container.

• A bathtub can hold a large volume of water compared to a sink.
• There is a greater volume of breathable air in the lower part of the atmosphere compared to the higher elevations.
• The box has enough volume to hold 16 ounces of cereal.

You can also use "volume" to talk about an amount of something that is difficult to measure:

• The volume of email that I receive has increased in recent years.
• The volume of traffic through our neighborhood has decreased thanks to traffic-calming devices.
• Shopping malls receive higher volumes of traffic during the holiday shopping season.
• The words used by the leader of any country speak volumes about his or her character.
• His silence speaks volumes. (To speak volumes is a type of expression. It means to express a lot of emotion or information.)

A volume can also be one in a series of books, or an amount of written work.

• That poet has published several volumes of work.
• I’m currently reading a series of novels composed of seven volumes.
• Volumes of articles have been published over the last twenty years which address the problem of climate change.

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Published on August 20, 2017