sum total

Definition of sum total

1 : a total arrived at through the counting of sums

2 : total result : totality

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Examples of sum total in a Sentence

in this case the sum total of physical evidence that a crime has been committed wouldn't fill a thimble

Recent Examples on the Web That’s the sum total of times my father was outwardly impatient with me. — Washington Post, "For Christmas, I’m absolving my dad. He is forever off the hook.," 25 Dec. 2019 And if 51 Republican senators agree to that and talk the president into it, that could be the sum total of this process. — CBS News, "Transcript: Correspondents Panel on "Face the Nation," December 29, 2019," 29 Dec. 2019 Here’s why: In August, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the city property tax levy — the sum total of all taxes collected in the city — would go up from $156 million to $164 million in 2020, an increase of $8 million, or 4.85 percent, over 2019. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "In St. Paul, 2020 will be a tough tax year for low-value homes; here’s how to understand property taxes," 23 Nov. 2019 The total tax levy, or sum total of all property taxes collected in the city, would increase by 5.85 percent next year, up a percentage point — or $1.5 million — from the 4.85 percent increase the mayor proposed in August. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "Proposed $5 after-school fee eliminated under revised St. Paul parks budget," 2 Dec. 2019 Despite the nerves of those final minutes, the sum total was another defining defensive performance. — BostonGlobe.com, "Can't-Miss Play: Cohen keeps feet inbounds for stunning, spinning TD," 18 Nov. 2019 The sum total of an individual’s many victim identities is greater than the parts. — Jeremy Carl, National Review, "Douglas Murray Challenges Us to Oppose Identity Politics and ‘Live in Truth’," 17 Oct. 2019 Rather, every theoretical model should be treated as a plausible contributor to the actual evolutionary story, which is likely to involve the sum total of many diverse and sometimes contradictory scenarios. — Quanta Magazine, "Solution: ‘Evolutionary Math and Just-So Stories’," 7 Sep. 2018 The individual parts still work, but the sum total is stuck in neutral. — Paul Sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Cubs’ road woes continue, and life imitates a grim Norman Rockwell painting," 28 July 2019

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

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Last Updated

16 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Sum total.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sum%20total. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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