Definition of "tantamount" []

• Equivalent in effect or value: a request tantamount to a demand. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It began when the band refused permission for their music to be covered by the Glee cast, which they described as tantamount to "selling out"."
• "He faced a wave of criticism for saying Monday that Texas would treat Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke "ugly" if he pursues more stimulus -- an action he described as tantamount to treason."
• "I consider the regime's retreat in the matter of women's political participation-which at one point it called tantamount to prostitution-an extremely positive point."