sum

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
: an indefinite or specified amount of money
2
: the whole amount : aggregate
3
: the utmost degree : summit
reached the sum of human happiness
4
a
: a summary of the chief points or thoughts : summation
the sum of this criticism followsC. W. Hendel
b
: gist
the sum and substance of an argument
5
a(1)
: the result of adding numbers
the sum of 5 and 7 is 12
(2)
: the limit of the sum of the first n terms of an infinite series as n increases indefinitely
b
: numbers to be added
broadly : a problem in arithmetic
summability noun
summable adjective

sum

2 of 3

verb

summed; summing

transitive verb

1
: to calculate the sum of : total
2

intransitive verb

: to reach a sum : amount

sum

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural sums
the basic monetary unit of Uzbekistan see Money Table
Phrases
in sum
: in short : briefly

Examples of sum in a Sentence

Verb can sum figures in his head faster than I can punch them into a calculator
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The total score for each city is calculated by summing the weighted scores for each of these metric. The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2024 To sum it up, employees cannot save, store or hold hot ticket items for later purchases which takes away from customers. Tamara Walker, The Enquirer, 26 Jan. 2024 Nothing summed that reality up quite like the divisional round. Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024 To sum it up in a sentence: Resilience is the ability to manage stress in effective ways. Rachel Goldsmith Turow, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024 Ofer Sharone, a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who researches career transitions and trends, sums it up in one word: stigma. Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024 In the photos, Banks smiles, dresses up in a poofy pink dress, draws on herself with crayons and eats a melting ice cream cone as her proud mom sums her feelings up in a lengthy caption. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023 The candidates had two minutes to make opening remarks, then take questions, then sum it up. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2023 And these estimates were predicated on the assumption of mass debt relief, not piecemeal sums like these. Noah Rothman, National Review, 9 Oct. 2023
Noun
In sum, the first step in restoring California’s insurance markets to a solid basis is to repeal Prop. 103. John Seiler, Orange County Register, 20 Mar. 2024 The sum isn't from the campaign solely, but from Biden's larger political operation, including t​he campaign, the Democratic National Committee and their joint filing committees. Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2024 Unfortunately for the other hopefuls those sums will likely never be on the cards. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Those could be efforts to bolster particular causes or candidates or, more often, schemes to make money by collecting small sums over and over again. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 In sum, these communities, many of them low-income, struggle with some of the worst impacts of car culture. Will McCarthy, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Green’s little splurge set him back about $12.3 million, certainly a huge sum of money but nothing out of the ordinary as Malibu beachfront prices go. James McClain, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 Under the legislation, set to be signed into law Friday, Milwaukee is expected to receive a total of $75 million in federal grant money for security costs at the Republican National Convention, and Chicago will receive the same sum for the Democratic National Convention. Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Mulholland sold it last year for an undisclosed sum. Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English summe, from Anglo-French sume, somme, from Latin summa, from feminine of summus highest; akin to Latin super over — more at over

Noun (2)

Uzbek so'm ruble

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1993, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sum was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sum

Cite this Entry

“Sum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sum. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sum

1 of 2 noun
1
: an indefinite or specified amount of money
2
: the whole amount
the sum of your experience
3
a
: a summary of the chief points or thoughts
b
: the main point
the sum and substance of an argument
4
a
: the result of adding numbers
the sum of 5 and 7 is 12
b
: a problem in arithmetic

sum

2 of 2 verb
summed; summing
1
: to calculate the sum of : total
2
: to reach a sum : amount
usually used with to

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