Usage of 'as many as'

[Liza]

hello again,

Could you please tell me what's the differnece between the meaning of the two sentences:

Some things were repeated as many as 16 times.
Some things were repeated 16 times.

So why 'as many as' is needed in the first? What extra meaning does it have?

Thanks you very much.
Liza

[Yankee]

Hi Liza

In this case, 'as many as' simply adds emphasis to the idea of '16 times'.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English