sum

¹ American  

[suhm] / sʌm /

noun

1. the aggregate of two or more numbers, magnitudes, quantities, or particulars as determined by or as if by the mathematical process of addition.

   The sum of 6 and 8 is 14.

2. a particular aggregate or total, especially with reference to money.

   The expenses came to an enormous sum.

3. an indefinite amount or quantity, especially of money.

   to lend small sums.

4. a series of numbers or quantities to be added up.

5. an arithmetical problem to be solved, or such a problem worked out and having the various steps shown.

6. the full amount, or the whole.

7. the substance or gist of a matter, comprehensively or broadly viewed or expressed.

   the sum of his opinions.

8. concise or brief form.

   in sum.

9. Mathematics.

   1. the limit of the sequence of partial sums of a given infinite series.

   2. union.

10. a summary.

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verb (used with object)

summed, summing

1. to combine into an aggregate or total (often followed byup ).

2. to ascertain the sum of, as by addition.

3. to bring into or contain in a small compass (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

summed, summing

1. to amount (usually followed by to orinto ).

   Their expenses summed into the thousands.

verb phrase

1. sum up

   1. to reckon.

      We summed up our assets and liabilities.

   2. to bring into or contain in a brief and comprehensive statement; summarize.

      to sum up the case for the prosecution.

   3. to form a quick estimate of.

      I summed him up in a minute.

sum- ² American  

1. variant of sub- before m: summon.

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SUM ³ American  

1. surface-to-underwater missile.

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sum ¹ British  

/ sʌm /

noun

1. 1. the result of the addition of numbers, quantities, objects, etc

   2. the cardinality of the union of disjoint sets whose cardinalities are the given numbers

2. one or more columns or rows of numbers to be added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided

3. maths the limit of a series of sums of the first n terms of a converging infinite series as n tends to infinity

4. (plural) another name for number work

5. a quantity, esp of money

   he borrows enormous sums

6. the essence or gist of a matter (esp in the phrases in sum, in sum and substance )

7. a less common word for summary

8. archaic  the summit or maximum

9. (modifier) complete or final (esp in the phrase sum total )

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verb

1. (often foll by up) to add or form a total of (something)

2. (tr) to calculate the sum of (the terms in a sequence)

sum ² British  

/ sʊm /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit of Uzbekistan, divided into 100 tiyin

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sum Scientific  

/ sŭm /

1. The result of adding numbers or quantities. The sum of 6 and 9, for example, is 15, and the sum of 4 x and 5 x is 9 x.

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Related Words

See number.

Other Word Forms

• outsum verb (used with object)
• sumless adjective
• sumlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of sum

First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English summe, from Latin summa “sum,” noun use of feminine of summus “highest,” superlative of superus ( superior ); (verb) Middle English summen (from Old French summer ), from Medieval Latin summāre, derivative of summa

Example Sentences

The sum of all this is a tragedy of the education commons.

From The Wall Street Journal

After raising some 400,000 pounds, a phenomenal sum for the time, over a dozen ships and supply boats set sail in three waves, carrying some 2,500 men, women and children.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many of those travelling to Perth spent vast sums of money, only to see England beaten in the first two-day Ashes Test for 104 years.

From BBC

The spinoff aimed to help the group avoid the so-called conglomerate discount, referring to the gap between a company’s market value and that of the sum of its parts.

From The Wall Street Journal

These comments, along with her speech, fuelled speculation she needed to raise significant sums to meet her fiscal rules.

From BBC

Related Words

• amount
• bulk
• quantity
• value
• worth