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aggregate

adjective ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-gri-gət \
|Updated on: 20 Jul 2018

Definition of aggregate

: formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount : collective: such as
a (1) : clustered in a dense mass or head
  • an aggregate flower
(2) : formed from several separate ovaries of a single flower
  • aggregate fruit
b : composed of mineral crystals of one or more kinds or of mineral rock fragments
c : taking all units as a whole
  • aggregate sales
—

aggregately

adverb
—

aggregateness

noun

See aggregate defined for English-language learners

See aggregate defined for kids

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Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

  1. There were to be thirty-seven playgrounds, twenty schools. There were to be a hundred and thirty-three miles of street, paved with an inch and a half of No. 2 macadam on an aggregate base. —Joan Didion,  New Yorker,  26 July 1993
  2. Their success at opening up new sources of supply, generating and servicing demand, and connecting new markets with the processing industries of the Amsterdam entrepôt seemed … to belie the axiom of an inelastic aggregate volume of world trade—a zero-sum competition. —Simon Schama,  The Embarrassment of Riches,  1988
  3. The mulberry looks a bit like a raspberry. But the raspberry (along with the other brambles, members of the genus Rubus, such as the blackberry) is an aggregate fruit generated by a single, if complex, flower. —Raymond Sokolov,  Natural History,  October 1986
  4. With Keynes, standard theory conceded that disequilibria might intrude upon the economy as a whole, but it held that these could be remedied by judicious stabilization of aggregate demand—that is, combined government and consumer purchasing power. —Robert Kuttner,  Atlantic,  February 1985

  5. The university receives more than half its aggregate income from government sources.

  6. The team with the highest aggregate score wins.

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aggregate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aggregate

Middle English aggregat, borrowed from Latin aggregātus, past participle of aggregāre "to cause to flock together, join, include, lump together," from ad- ad- + -gregāre, verbal derivative of greg-, grex "flock, herd, group" — more at gregarious

2

aggregate

verb ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-gri-ˌgāt \

Definition of aggregate

aggregated; aggregating
transitive verb
1 : to collect or gather into a mass or whole
  • The census data were aggregated by gender.
2 : to amount to (a whole sum or total) : total
  • audiences aggregating several million people

See aggregate defined for English-language learners

Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

  1. The problem, in this case, is that the synergy creates incentives for segregation. Ethnic advertisers scour the TV schedule for shows and channels that "aggregate" viewers of the type the client wants to reach … —Tamar Jacoby,  New Republic,  24 Jan. 2000
  2. "We are good at aggregating eyeballs and delivering services," says Barry Schuler, the president of AOL Interactive Services, "and the Time Warner deal is a natural extension of that." —Barry Schuler,  Fortune,  7 Feb. 2000
  3. Pollsters, for the most part, know perfectly well what they are doing. One thing they are doing is aggregating and averaging ephemeral spasms of "mood" that may have commercial or political value. —Christopher Hitchens,  Harper's,  April 1992
  4. … covered only if each of the corporations involved has capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating more than $10 million … —Joe Sims et al.,  National Law Journal,  28 Jan. 1991

  5. The Web site aggregates content from many other sites.

  6. over time, her petty thefts aggregated a significant shortfall in the company's books

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aggregate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aggregate

Middle English aggregaten, borrowed from Latin aggregātus, past participle of aggregāre "to cause to flock together, join" — more at 1aggregate

aggregate Synonyms

Synonyms

add up (to), amount (to), come (to), count (up to), number, sum (to or into), total;

Related Words

average, equal, measure, reach;

compose, comprise, constitute, make up;

Phrases

clock in at;

3

aggregate

noun ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-gri-gət \

Definition of aggregate

1 : a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another
  • Froth is an aggregate of tiny bubbles.
2 : the whole sum or amount : sum total
  • spent an aggregate of 10 million dollars in advertising during the past three years
3 a : a rock composed of mineral crystals of one or more kinds or of mineral rock fragments : an aggregate rock
b : any of several hard inert materials (such as sand, gravel, or slag) used for mixing with a cementing material to form concrete, mortar, or plaster
c : a clustered mass of individual soil particles varied in shape, ranging in size from a microscopic granule to a small crumb, and considered the basic structural unit of soil
4 : set 21
5 : monetary aggregate
— in the aggregate
: considered as a whole : collectively
  • Dividends for the year amounted in the aggregate to 25 million dollars.

See aggregate defined for English-language learners

Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

  1. In particular, a core of popular politically minded blogs known in the aggregate as the Blogosphere has been a beehive of furious activity. Or should I say a wasp's nest? —Steven Levy,  Newsweek,  4 Oct. 2004
  2. It's true that our lives are the aggregate of a lot of little things, that's precisely why, at least once a year, we need to ride the wave of something bigger and bolder than our own little humdrum existence. —Will Manley,  Booklist,  1 Sept. 2002
  3. Smallness of enterprises, as in the Japanese bicycle-manufacturing development, is an asset because smallness cuts down administrative and other overhead costs both in individual enterprises and in the aggregate, in comparison with the overhead costs of large operations. —Jane Jacobs,  Cities and the Wealth of Nations,  (1984) 1985

  4. numerous episodes of pilferage, taken in the aggregate, can really add up to a significant sum

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aggregate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

We added "aggregate" to our flock of Latin borrowings in the 15th century. It descends from "aggregare" ("to add to"), a Latin verb made up of the prefix ad- (which means "to," and which usually changes to "ag-" before a "g") and "greg-" or "grex" (meaning "flock"). "Greg-" also gave us "congregate," "gregarious," and "segregate." "Aggregate" is commonly employed in the phrase "in the aggregate," which means "considered as a whole" (as in the sentence "In the aggregate, the student's various achievements were sufficiently impressive to merit a scholarship"). "Aggregate" also has some specialized senses. For example, it is used for a mass of minerals formed into a rock and for a material, such as sand or gravel, used to form concrete, mortar, or plaster.

Origin and Etymology of aggregate

Middle English aggregat, borrowed from Medieval Latin aggregātus, noun derivative of Latin aggregātus, past participle of aggregāre "to cause to flock together, join" — more at 1aggregate

aggregate Synonyms

Synonyms

full, sum, sum total, summation, total, totality, whole;

Near Antonyms

net;

Related Words

gross;

completeness, comprehensiveness, cumulativeness, entirety;

bulk, lion's share, mass;

enchilada, schmear;

Phrases

grand total, the whole bit, the whole kit and caboodle, the whole nine yards, the whole shebang;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Phrases Related to AGGREGATE

Related Phrases

AGGREGATE Defined for English Language Learners

aggregate

adjective

Definition of aggregate for English Language Learners

  • : formed by adding together two or more amounts

aggregate

verb

Definition of aggregate for English Language Learners

  • : to join or combine into a single group

  • : to equal a specified number or amount

aggregate

noun

Definition of aggregate for English Language Learners

  • : a total amount

AGGREGATE Defined for Kids

1

aggregate

verb ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-gri-ˌgāt \

Definition of aggregate for Students

aggregated; aggregating
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole
  • The particles of sand aggregated into giant dunes.
2

aggregate

noun ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-gri-gət \

Definition of aggregate for Students

1 : a mass or body of units or parts
  • The rock is an aggregate of several minerals.
2 : the whole sum or amount
  • They won by an aggregate of 30 points.

Medical Dictionary

1

aggregate

adjective ag·gre·gate \ ˈag-ri-gət \

medical Definition of aggregate

: formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount
—

aggregation

play \ˌag-ri-ˈgā-shən\ noun
    • It is now known that these calcifications represent focal aggregations of calcium hydroxyapatite …
    • —Medical Radiography & Photography,  1982
2

aggregate

transitive verb ag·gre·gate \ -ˌgāt \

medical Definition of aggregate

aggregated; aggregating
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole
  • aggregated human albumin
3

aggregate

noun ag·gre·gate \ -gət \

medical Definition of aggregate

: a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another

Law Dictionary

1

aggregate

adjective ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-grə-gət \

legal Definition of aggregate

: taken as a total
  • aggregate liability
2

aggregate

verb ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-grə-ˌgāt \

legal Definition of aggregate

aggregated; aggregating
transitive verb
1 : to combine or gather into a whole
  • class members may aggregate their individual claims
— compare join
2 : to amount to
  • an award aggregating $100,000
intransitive verb
: to form an aggregate
  • they may not aggregate if their claims are regarded as “separate and distinct”
  • —J. M. Landers et al.
3

aggregate

noun ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-grə-gət \

legal Definition of aggregate

1 : total amount
  • may sue in federal court if the aggregate of the claims exceeds $75,000
2 : a whole made up of individual units
  • the aggregate of operative facts

Learn More about aggregate

  1. See words that rhyme with aggregate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for aggregate Spanish Central: Translation of aggregate Nglish: Translation of aggregate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of aggregate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aggregate

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