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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The whole—well, in this case, the duo—should be greater than the sum of its parts. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025 Being a better whole than the sum of the parts is a difficult challenge over the course of a 17-game season. Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025 But the three tales are arguably too tonally and structurally similar, hitting a familiar note of nausea ad nauseam, and the whole doesn’t really exceed the sum of its parts. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025 Together, the apples and fennel become a nutty duo, more than the sum of their parts. Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for the sum of

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“The sum of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20sum%20of. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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