sum

[ suhm ]

/ sʌm /

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.

Origin of sum

1250–1300; (noun) Middle English summe < Latin summa sum, noun use of feminine of summus highest, superlative of superus (see superior); (v.) Middle English summen (< Old French summer) < Medieval Latin summāre, derivative of summa

SYNONYMS FOR sum

1 See number.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sum ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM sum

sum·less, adjective sum·less·ness, noun out·sum, verb (used with object), out·summed, out·sum·ming.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sum

some sum (see usage note at some)

Words nearby sum

sultry, sulu, sulu archipelago, sulu sea, sulzberger, sum, sum and substance, sum total, sum up, sum-, sum-up

Definition for sum (2 of 4)

SUM

surface-to-underwater missile.

Definition for sum (3 of 4)

sum-

variant of sub- before m: summon.

Definition for sum (4 of 4)

cogito, ergo sum

[ koh-gi-toh er-goh soo m; English koj-i-toh ur-goh suhm, er-goh ]

/ ˈkoʊ gɪˌtoʊ ˈɛr goʊ ˈsʊm; English ˈkɒdʒ ɪˌtoʊ ˈɜr goʊ ˈsʌm, ˈɛr goʊ /

Latin.

I think, therefore I am (stated by Descartes as the first principle in resolving universal doubt).

Example sentences from the Web for sum

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
In sum, SARS spread to many more countries than Ebola has so far.

Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19 |PunditFact.com |October 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Two years later, in 1959, the Germans proposed a settlement of less than half the sum Paul had claimed.

My Grandfather's War: Recovering the Art the Nazis Stole |Anne Sinclair |October 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

As the economy soured, Californians began to think in terms of limited resources and came to see migration as a zero sum game.

Careful What You Wish For: Here’s What California Would Look Like Without Illegal Immigrants |Ruben Navarrette Jr. |September 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This sum of money and the knowledge of the printer's trade made up his capital.

Captains of Industry |James Parton
The word thinking, defined early in this chapter, is broadly used to denote the sum of all the intellectual faculties.

Applied Psychology for Nurses |Mary F. Porter
This, he believed, was the sum of good government; and this was the government which he was determined to establish.

Jefferson and his Colleagues |Allen Johnson
He had originally possessed but twenty thousand francs, a sum which in no wise corresponded with his lofty pretensions.

The Count's Millions |Emile Gaboriau
How to dispose of this sum for the best advantage of his family, was matter of anxious consideration to Butler.

The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 2, Illustrated |Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for sum (1 of 3)

sum ¹

/ (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 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)

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 3)

sum ²

/ (sʊm) /

noun plural sumy (sʊmɪ)

the standard monetary unit of Uzbekistan, divided into 100 tiyin

British Dictionary definitions for sum (3 of 3)

cogito, ergo sum

/ Latin (ˈkɒɡɪˌtəʊ ˈɜːɡəʊ ˈsʊm) /

I think, therefore I am; the basis of Descartes' philosophy

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.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sum

noun

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