sum

noun

The definition of a sum is a total amount you arrive at by adding up multiple things, or the total amount of something that exists, or the total amount of money you have.

4 is an example of the sum of 2+2.
When you have $100, this is an example of the sum of money that you have.

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sum

an amount of money: a sum paid in reparation
the whole amount; totality; aggregate: the sum of our experience
the gist or a summary of something said, done, etc.: usually in sum and substance
1. the result obtained by adding numbers or quantities; total
2. Old-fashioned a series of numbers to be added together, or any problem in arithmetic
3. the limit of the sum of the first n terms of an infinite series as n grows indefinitely
4. the set containing every element belonging to one or both of two original sets and no other elements
5. in Boolean algebra, disjunction (sense )
Archaic the highest degree; height; summit

Origin of sum

Middle English somme from Middle French from Classical Latin summa, feminine of summus, highest, superlative from base of super: see super-

transitive verb

summed, sum′ming

to determine the sum of by adding
to summarize or review briefly; sum up

to get, or come to, a total

sum Idioms

in sum

to put it briefly; in short

sum up

to add up or collect into a whole or total
to review briefly; summarize

noun

pl.

var. of som (sense )

sum-

sub-: used before m

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"sum." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sum>.

APA Style

sum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sum

sum

noun

Mathematics
a. An amount obtained as a result of adding numbers.
b. An arithmetic problem: a child good at sums.
The whole amount, quantity, or number; an aggregate: the sum of the team's combined experience.
An amount of money: paid an enormous sum.
A summary: my view of the world, in sum.
The central idea or point; the gist.

transitive verb

summed, sum·ming, sums

Mathematics To add.
To give a summary of; summarize.

Phrasal Verbs: sum up To present the substance of (material) in a condensed form; summarize: sum up the day's news; concluded the lecture by summing up. To describe or assess concisely: an epithet that sums up my feelings.

Origin of sum

Middle English summe from Old French from Latin summa from feminine of summus highest ; see uper in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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sum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sum

The result of adding numbers or quantities. The sum of 6 and 9, for example, is 15, and the sum of 4x and 5x is 9x.

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sum. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Sum

Noun

(plural sums)

A quantity obtained by addition or aggregation.
The sum of 3 and 4 is 7.
(often plural) An arithmetic computation, especially one posed to a student as an exercise (not necessarily limited to addition).
We're learning about division, and the sums are tricky.
A quantity of money.
a tidy sum
the sum of forty pounds
A summary; the principal points or thoughts when viewed together; the amount; the substance; compendium.
This is the sum of all the evidence in the case.
This is the sum and substance of his objections.
A central idea or point.
The utmost degree.

Related terms

terms etymologically related to sum

Verb

(third-person singular simple present sums, present participle summing, simple past and past participle summed)

To add together.
To give a summary of.

Origin

Middle English summe, from Old French, from Latin summa, feminine of summus (“highest").

Noun

(plural sums)

The basic unit of money in Kyrgyzstan.
The basic unit of money in Uzbekistan.

Origin

From the Kazakh ÑÐ¾Ð¼ (som), the Kyrgyz ÑÐ¾Ð¼ (som), the Uyghur Ø³ÙˆÙ… (som), and the Uzbek soÊ»m, all of which have the core signification “pure", used in elliptical reference to historical coins of pure gold.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.