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 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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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
Cite this Entry
“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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