aggregate

adjective ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-gri-gət \

Updated on: 14 Apr 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

aggregate was our Word of the Day on 08/24/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

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
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
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
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
The university receives more than half its aggregate income from government sources.
The team with the highest aggregate score wins.

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

While unlikely to prompt immediate global currency reform, this does suggest that the U.S., in attempting to manage its aggregate trade deficit, is spinning its wheels.

— WSJ, "Friedman vs. Mundell on Monetary Reform," 6 Apr. 2018
But then in March 2015, the company combined the private feedback ratings with the public stars in order to create an aggregate feedback rating for the workers.

— aric jenkins, Fortune, "Giving Your Uber Driver 5 Stars Isn’t Helping Anyone," 5 Apr. 2018
This allowed us to compare aggregate voting patterns in settlements with and without Russian TV all in proximity of each other.

— leonid peisakhin, Washington Post, "When does Russian propaganda work — and when does it backfire? Here’s what we found.," 3 Apr. 2018
In comparison, North American theaters (comprising those in the U.S. and Canada) enjoyed aggregate revenues of $2.89 billion in the same period, according to data tracking and consultancy service ComScore.

— NBC News, "China box office overtakes North America for first time," 3 Apr. 2018
Ezra's new success follows his debut album Wanted On Voyage, which first charted in the U.K. in July 2014 and went on to spend a total of four aggregate weeks at the top, two in October and two the following January.

— paul sexton, Billboard, "George Ezra Hits U.K. Album Summit With 'Staying At Tamara's'," 30 Mar. 2018
To pin this down to an aggregate level of madness for each year, TIME considered every matchup in which the seed of the winning team has won that round fewer than 25 times since 1985.

— chris wilson, Time, "This Year’s March Madness Has Been the Maddest in History. We Have the Numbers to Prove It," 29 Mar. 2018
Contested over two legs, Benfica showed a ruthless side never seen before, easing to 10-0 and 8-0 wins to wrap up a thoroughly comprehensive 18-0 aggregate win.

— SI.com, "7 World Soccer Records That Will Be Near Impossible to Break," 22 Mar. 2018
During the Reagan revitalization, strong economic growth was achieved even as the aggregate trade deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product quintupled.

— phil gramm and, WSJ, "Trump, Tariffs and the Protectionist Temptation," 23 Mar. 2018

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

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

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
"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
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
… 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
The Web site aggregates content from many other sites.
over time, her petty thefts aggregated a significant shortfall in the company's books

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

But the only citizenship data that is currently collected, from the American Community Survey, is aggregated into large parcels called census block groups.

— michael wines, New York Times, "Census Bureau’s Own Expert Panel Rebukes Decision to Add Citizenship Question," 30 Mar. 2018
Many private businesses have succeeded in aggregating vast streams of claims information as well as data from clinical trials.

— casey ross, STAT, "The government wants to free your health data. Will that unleash innovation?," 29 Mar. 2018
The popularity tracker from data-focused website FiveThirtyEight, meanwhile, tracks Trump's average approval rating daily by aggregating public polls and accounting for each survey's quality, recency, sample size and partisan lean.

— tim marcin, Newsweek, "Trump Remains Unpopular but Approval Rating Rises as More Independent Voters Support President, Poll Shows," 21 Mar. 2018
No to selling even aggregated financial data to third parties.

— sarah scoles, WIRED, "Big Ag Wants Farmers to Buy Into Satellite Imagery," 20 Mar. 2018
With Google, Facebook, Amazon and others continuing to aggregate power and resources, the challenges facing young startups have mounted.

— sandra upson, WIRED, "At Y Combinator's Demo Day, The Age of Overpromises Is Over," 20 Mar. 2018
Every year, thousands of travelers' real reviews are aggregated and then analyzed by TripAdvisor.

— banu ibrahim, CNN Underscored, "TripAdvisor reviewers choose the world's best beaches," 19 Mar. 2018
According to Human Rights Watch, Xinjiang's public security bureau is aggregating data from sources such as closed-circuit TV cameras, security checkpoints, and residents' networked devices.

— mara hvistendahl, Science | AAAS, "A revered rocket scientist set in motion China’s mass surveillance of its citizens," 14 Mar. 2018
Per a study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, 73% of the top critics on popular review aggregating site, Rotten Tomatoes.

— refinery29.com, "CherryPicks Is The New Rotten Tomatoes," 13 Mar. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

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;

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

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

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

Schlitterbahn also faces fines in the aggregate of $3.5 million if it is found guilty.

— steve vockrodt, kansascity, "Schlitterbahn mortgage lender fears Verruckt indictments could endanger repayment | The Kansas City Star," 10 Apr. 2018
Second, in a future where all cars are self-driving cars, small changes to driving behavior would make a big difference in the aggregate.

— johannes himmelreich, BostonGlobe.com, "The everyday moral challenges of self-driving cars," 30 Mar. 2018
The Dolphins are going to try to replace Jarvis Landry’s 112 catches and nine touchdowns in the aggregate.

— adam h. beasley, miamiherald, "Statistics suggest that these two free agency additions can replace Landry’s production | Miami Herald," 30 Mar. 2018
Information is only released publicly in the aggregate, although the government has the details.

— Washington Post, "Decision to add citizenship question to census draws protest," 27 Mar. 2018
Information is only released publicly in the aggregate, although the government has the details.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Decision to reinstate citizenship question on 2020 Census ignites debate," 28 Mar. 2018
Second, in a future where all cars are self-driving cars, small changes to driving behavior would make a big difference in the aggregate.

— johannes himmelreich, Smithsonian, "The Ethical Challenges Self-Driving Cars Will Face Every Day," 27 Mar. 2018
The area is decorated with rock and glass aggregate that sparkles, and depictions of animals like meerkats and macaws are scattered throughout.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Rex the lion returns to SD Zoo — in bronze," 25 Mar. 2018
The Red bulls defeated Club Tijuana 3-1 to advance 5-1 on aggregate.

— anne m. peterson, chicagotribune.com, "CONCACAF Champions League proves MLS is gaining on Liga MX," 22 Mar. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

aggregate Synonyms

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

aggregate

adjective ag·gre·gate \ ˈa-grə-gət \

legal Definition of aggregate

: taken as a total

aggregate liability

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.

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

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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aggregate

Definition of aggregate

aggregately

aggregateness

aggregate was our Word of the Day on 08/24/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of aggregate

aggregate

Definition of aggregate

Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of aggregate

aggregate Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases

aggregate

Definition of aggregate

Examples of aggregate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of aggregate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of aggregate

aggregate Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Other Geology Terms

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AGGREGATE Defined for English Language Learners

aggregate

Definition of aggregate for English Language Learners

aggregate

Definition of aggregate for English Language Learners

aggregate

Definition of aggregate for English Language Learners

AGGREGATE Defined for Kids

aggregate

Definition of aggregate for Students

aggregate

Definition of aggregate for Students

Medical Dictionary

aggregate

medical Definition of aggregate

aggregation

aggregate

medical Definition of aggregate

aggregate

medical Definition of aggregate

Law Dictionary

aggregate

legal Definition of aggregate

aggregate

legal Definition of aggregate

aggregate

legal Definition of aggregate

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