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
If the Finns can keep up their usual ethos of being more than the sum of their parts, that’s a potentially dangerous mix with a team that’s now significantly more talented.
—
Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Although each short essay in the collection contains at least one recipe (some quite good, some very 1980s), the sum of these parts is far more memoir than cookbook.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
While its title track may lose out to the stiff competition in the ROTY and SOTY categories, the album is greater than the sum of its parts.
—Jason Lamphier, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts; that's a flaw in our thinking.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
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Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Although each short essay in the collection contains at least one recipe (some quite good, some very 1980s), the sum of these parts is far more memoir than cookbook.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
While its title track may lose out to the stiff competition in the ROTY and SOTY categories, the album is greater than the sum of its parts.
—Jason Lamphier, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
The whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts; that's a flaw in our thinking.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
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 8 Feb. 2026.
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