the sum of
idiom
1
: an amount of (money)
I paid the sum of $500.
2
: the result of (adding two or more numbers together)
The sum of 5 and 7 is 12
3
: all there is of : the whole amount of
Working odd summer jobs has been the sum of my experience so far.
Examples of the sum of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The visuals are packed with symbolism and Easter eggs, unfolding like the sum of the types of thrillers Drake posts to his Instagram Story.
—
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
That is, there might be a knot that really is less than the sum of its parts.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
General Electric, once an icon of American industry, recognized that breaking itself up would make its constituent pieces more valuable and competitive in one of the most salient recent examples that demonstrates the sum of the parts can be greater than the whole.
—Charlene Barshefsky, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
That record was a mission statement, a flag-planting arrival that showed the breadth of her talent was more than just the sum of her reality TV and viral parts.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the sum of
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Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
That is, there might be a knot that really is less than the sum of its parts.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
General Electric, once an icon of American industry, recognized that breaking itself up would make its constituent pieces more valuable and competitive in one of the most salient recent examples that demonstrates the sum of the parts can be greater than the whole.
—Charlene Barshefsky, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
That record was a mission statement, a flag-planting arrival that showed the breadth of her talent was more than just the sum of her reality TV and viral parts.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the sum of
Cite this Entry
“The sum of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20sum%20of. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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