sum

[ suhm ]

/ sʌm /

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noun

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.
union (def. 10a).

a summary.

verb (used with object), summed, sum·ming.

to combine into an aggregate or total (often followed by up).

to ascertain the sum of, as by addition.

to bring into or contain in a small compass (often followed by up).

verb (used without object), summed, sum·ming.

to amount (usually followed by to or into): Their expenses summed into the thousands.

Verb Phrases

sum up,

to reckon: We summed up our assets and liabilities.
to bring into or contain in a brief and comprehensive statement; summarize: to sum up the case for the prosecution.
to form a quick estimate of: I summed him up in a minute.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 (see superior); (verb) Middle English summen (from Old French summer), from Medieval Latin summāre, derivative of summa

synonym study for sum

1. See number.

OTHER WORDS FROM sum

sumless, adjectivesum·less·ness, nounoutsum, verb (used with object), out·summed, out·sum·ming.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sum

some, sum

Words nearby sum

sultry, Sulu, Sulu Archipelago, Sulu Sea, Sulzberger, sum, sumac, sumach, sum and substance, Sumatra, Sumatra camphor

Other definitions for sum (2 of 3)

SUM

surface-to-underwater missile.

Other definitions for sum (3 of 3)

sum-

variant of sub- before m: summon.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sum in a sentence

Is it True that “Gays vs. Traditionalists are a Zero-Sum Game”?
Do LGBTs Owe Christians an Olive Branch? Try The Other Way Around|Jay Michaelson|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Willima and Kate raised a similar sum at a private dinner for just 30 philanthropists on Sunday night.
Kate and William's Glamorous $2m New York Send Off|Tom Sykes|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, they are viewing their donors, and their future children, not as whole people but as the sum of certain parts.
Have Sperm, Will Travel: The ‘Natural Inseminators’ Helping Women Avoid the Sperm Bank|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when it comes to the value of antiquities for human history, the sum of the parts is not greater than the whole.
Dismembering History: The Shady Online Trade in Ancient Texts|Candida Moss|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She later sued him alleging a vicious cycle of abuse, and he settled with his ex-wife out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Foxcatcher’s Real-Life Psycho Killer|Marlow Stern|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was such a magnificent sum that Sol did not feel like taking the familiarity with it of mentioning it aloud.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Of which the sum is that all the parties to the case are evidently, for the time being, Protestants!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
I've tried to teach lots of folks; an' sum learns quick, an' some don't never learn; it's jest 's 't strikes 'em.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
The King now increased it to the enormous sum of two shilling and ten pence.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
With that sum, twice as much infantry could be maintained as that which your Majesty has here.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sum (1 of 2)

sum¹

/ (sʌm) /

noun

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 moneyhe 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)

verb sums, summing or summed

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

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

Word Origin for sum

C13 summe, from Old French, from Latin summa the top, sum, from summus highest, from superus in a higher position; see super

British Dictionary definitions for sum (2 of 2)

sum²

/ (sʊm) /

noun plural sumy (sʊmɪ)

the standard monetary unit of Uzbekistan, divided into 100 tiyin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for sum

sum

[ sŭm ]

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