sum

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈsəm 

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 follows

—C. 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

c(1)

: disjunction sense 2

(2)

: union sense 2d

summability

ˌsə-mə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

summable

ˈsə-mə-bəl 

adjective

sum

2 of 3

verb

summed; summing

transitive verb

1

: to calculate the sum of : total

2

: summarize

intransitive verb

: to reach a sum : amount

sum

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈsəm 

plural sums

the basic monetary unit of Uzbekistan see Money Table

Phrases

in sum

: in short : briefly

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• total
• totality
• whole

Verb

• add

Examples of sum in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the sum of human knowledge on that subject

the district attorney delivered a sum of the evidence against the accused that was simply staggering

he declared that he had reached the sum of joy when his newborn daughter was laid in his arms

the sum of the issue is: who will pay for this?

Verb

can sum figures in his head faster than I can punch them into a calculator

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Kathy Hochul summed it up with a single barnyard epithet There is the thicket, and there is the path. —Jamie Malanowski, Air Mail, 21 June 2025

Brandon Lowe, the veteran second baseman, summed it up best last week. —Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 June 2025

Noun

In arithmetic progressions, there are many groups of numbers that have the same sum. —Leila Sloman, Wired News, 29 June 2025

Their professions range from sales representatives to community coaches, and Auckland’s winnings of roughly €4 million ($4.5 million) from the Club World Cup—peanuts to elite clubs—is a fortune for an entity and federation not used to dealing in such sums. —Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

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

Phrases Containing sum

• dim sum
• direct sum
• greater/better/more than the sum of its parts
• lump sum
• princely sum
• sum and substance
• sum total
• sum up
• the sum of
• the sum total
• vector sum
• zero-sum
• zero-sum game

Rhymes for sum

• bum
• chum
• come
• crum
• cum
• drum
• dum
• dumb
• from
• frum
• glum
• gum

Kids Definition

sum

1 of 2 noun

ˈsəm 

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