sum total
Americannoun
-
complete numerical total.
the sum total of my savings.
-
essence; substance.
The sum total of research in the field.
Etymology
Origin of sum total
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Though each home’s energy generation is capped at a relatively paltry 800 watts, their sum total across the country equates to a large power plant, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
It is now Saturday, and the sum total of negotiating progress that has been made is nothing.
From Slate ● Feb. 7, 2026
Starting in the 1950s and up to 2019, there was a sum total of roughly 2,000 operating satellites in orbit.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2025
Europe is a sum total of different countries with different-sized budgets and diverse domestic politics and priorities.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025
He said that 360 degrees represented “the sum total of knowledge.”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
