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.
a particular aggregate or total, especially with reference to money.
The expenses came to an enormous sum.
an indefinite amount or quantity, especially of money.
to lend small sums.
a series of numbers or quantities to be added up.
an arithmetical problem to be solved, or such a problem worked out and having the various steps shown.
the full amount, or the whole.
the substance or gist of a matter, comprehensively or broadly viewed or expressed.
the sum of his opinions.
concise or brief form.
in sum.
Mathematics.
the limit of the sequence of partial sums of a given infinite series.
a summary.
to combine into an aggregate or total (often followed byup ).
to ascertain the sum of, as by addition.
to bring into or contain in a small compass (often followed byup ).
the result of the addition of numbers, quantities, objects, etc
the cardinality of the union of disjoint sets whose cardinalities are the given numbers
one or more columns or rows of numbers to be added, subtracted, multiplied, or divided
maths the limit of a series of sums of the first n terms of a converging infinite series as n tends to infinity
(plural) another name for number work
a quantity, esp of money
he borrows enormous sums
the essence or gist of a matter (esp in the phrases in sum, in sum and substance )
a less common word for summary
archaic the summit or maximum
(modifier) complete or final (esp in the phrase sum total )
(often foll by up) to add or form a total of (something)
(tr) to calculate the sum of (the terms in a sequence)
See number.
First recorded in 1250–1300; (noun) Middle English summe, from Latin summa “sum,” noun use of feminine of summus “highest,” superlative of superus ( see superior); (verb) Middle English summen (from Old French summer ), from Medieval Latin summāre, derivative of summa
When you determine the sum, you add up all the numbers. When you sum something up, you focus on all of its important points. The word sum can also refer to a certain amount of money. A new car might cost you a huge sum of money. But if you sum or add up all its benefits, you might be able to justify spending so much. You calculate the total on a restaurant bill when you sum up the prices of everything you ordered. Sum doesn't have to refer strictly to numbers. When you sum something up, you're giving an overview or general statement about it.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The proposed sum is staggering to people familiar with the State Department’s allocation practices and would dwarf the organization’s budget.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Carlos Salmon, a certified financial planner and partner at Wooster Square Advisors, recalled a client in her 80s who inherited a large sum of money that changed her financial situation “overnight.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Her $10 on Bryce and Trinity was less about earning a large lump sum and more about getting heavily invested in the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Parliament's standards commissioner is investigating whether he should have declared that sum upon becoming an MP in his published register of financial interests.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The German people also had to pay an enormous sum of money, called reparations, for war damages.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The arrangement between SUM and the Mexican federation will begin when the marketing firm’s deal with the U.S. national team expires after two decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2022
He sees the SUM initiative as hopelessly compromising the Federation, and Garber’s empire-building as a major structural problem.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 30, 2018
A healthy slice of the revenue from those events and from sponsorship deals cut by SUM is distributed to the owners of MLS teams.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2016
The organizers capitalized SUM at the exorbitant amount of $500,000 and named the nation’s first planned industrial city in honor of New Jersey governor William Paterson.
From Time ● Dec. 28, 2015
An armed man with a sword in his hand, inscribed, “CONSTANTIA SUM, NIL TIMENS.”
From The Stones of Venice, Volume II (of 3), by Ruskin, John
He was embarrassed at having sum- moned a senior representative of the U.S. government all this way.
From MSNBC ● Nov. 7, 2017
The company is worth at least $72 a share, based on a sum- of-the-parts analysis by Bernstein’s Dibadj.
From BusinessWeek ● Sep. 21, 2011
“Is it true that on sundry occasions during the sum- mer you have entered her house and visited with her?”
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
By sum- mer he’d learned the basics of the uranium bomb.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
He did not have the careless, almost British look of most of the Devon Masters, because he was a substitute for the sum- mer.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
These have snowballed into huge high-stakes challenges where he gives away large sums of money to strangers.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Once, diplomatic counterparts who controlled huge sums were regarded warily by U.S. diplomats.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Victims of Communism has received a handful of government grants in the past, but for much smaller sums.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
With some religious institutions managing vast sums of money and operating on a scale comparable to major corporations, ensuring transparency is a persistent challenge.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
He had invested large sums in the hunt, and the animal itself was very valuable.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Former England goalkeeper and BBC Sport pundit Joe Hart summed it up well.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Societe Generale analysts summed up the mood on Wall Street Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran unleashed a new round of military strikes across the Middle East: “Here we go again.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
One employee summed up the mood with a meme from "The Office," posted on an internal company forum, reading: "0 days since our last nonsense."
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
If “The Other Bennet Sister” has taught us anything, it’s that romance can be summed up in two words: bird calls.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
If the Baconian system can be summed up in a sentence, it is that science must be built on the foundations provided by facts—a lesson that Boyle very much took to heart.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Mike Murphy continues his wonderful series of What’s Worth Streaming, reviewing the offerings from eight streaming services and summing up which ones are worth paying for and which ones you should skip for the month.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Duterte's defence lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, summing up his case, said that if his client could be faulted for anything, it was his "inappropriate choice of language".
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
“He didn’t do drugs. He didn’t party. He made films,” Mr. Fischer writes, summing up the young Mr. Lucas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
“The ones who aren’t creators or influencers see wearers as cringe,” Cohen said, sardonically summing up the general feeling of nonwearers as “Your life is not that cool, bro.”
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
They kept a wise eye on the cloud formations, summing up the wind, and the strength of it, and what airt it was coming from.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
