What does "sum" mean?
A quantity obtained by addition or aggregation.
Sum
det, name, noun, pron, verb
det, name, noun, pron, verb ·1 syllable ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A quantity obtained by addition or aggregation.
- Grammar: sum is listed as det, name, noun, pron, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aggregate, amount, total, abridge.
- Useful contrasts: addends, considerably different, deficit.
- Usage evidence: The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
How to use "sum"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sum" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sum" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sum" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sum" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sum" is acting as det, name, noun, pron, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aggregate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sum", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A quantity obtained by addition or aggregation.
"The sum of 3 and 4 is 7."
- 2 The basic unit of money in Kyrgyzstan.
- 3 A type of administrative district used in China, Mongolia, and Russia. In Mongolia, a sum is smaller than a province. In China, it is only used in Inner Mongolia, where it is equivalent to a township.
- 4 the whole amount wordnet
- 5 An arithmetic computation, especially one posed to a student as an exercise (not necessarily limited to addition). often, plural
"We're learning about division, and the sums are tricky."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 The basic unit of money in Uzbekistan.
- 7 a quantity obtained by the addition of a group of numbers wordnet
- 8 A quantity of money.
"a tidy sum"
- 9 the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience wordnet
- 10 A summary; the principal points or thoughts when viewed together; the substance.
"This is the sum of all the evidence in the case."
- 11 the final aggregate wordnet
- 12 A central idea or point; gist.
- 13 a set containing all and only the members of two or more given sets wordnet
- 14 The utmost degree; the greatest or most perfect realization (of some concept). literary, rare
"Thus I have told thee all my State, and brought / My Storie to the ſum of earthly bliſs[…]"
- 15 a quantity of money wordnet
- 16 An old English measure of corn equal to the quarter. obsolete
"The sum is also used for the quarter, and the strike for the bushel."
Verb
- 1 To add together. transitive
"when you say that stability and change are, it's because you're summing them up together as embraced by it, and taking note of the communion each of them has with being."
- 2 determine the sum of wordnet
- 3 To give a summary of. transitive
- 4 be a summary of wordnet
Determiner
- 1 Eye dialect spelling of some. Internet, alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
"Females can smell when they nigga doing sum sneaky shit 😂"
Pronoun
- 1 Pronunciation spelling of something. Internet, alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
"Tony hawk such a fire name bro was bound to do sum cool"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The whole is greater than the sum of the parts."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sum"?
Common synonyms include: aggregate, amount, total, abridge, abridgment, account.
How do you use "sum" in a sentence?
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English summe, from Old French summe, from Latin summa (“highest point; sum”), from summus (“highest”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Kazakh сом (som), Kyrgyz сом (som), Uyghur سوم (som), and Uzbek soʻm, all of which have the core signification “pure”, used in elliptical reference to historical coins of pure gold.
Etymology 3
From Mongolian сум (sum), from Manchu ᠨᡳᡵᡠ (niru, “a large arrow, militia company, district”). Ultimately from Proto-Mongolic *sumun (“arrow”).
Etymology 4
* As a Chinese surname: ** a pronunciation of 沈, see Shen. ** Also Romanized from 岑 (cén) based on the Cantonese pronunciation, see Cen. ** Variant Romanization of 覃, see Tan, Qin. * As a Cambodian/Khmer surname, from the name ស៊ុំ (sum), possibly from the Chinese above. * As a Slovene and Czech surname Šum, from šum (“noise”) or šum (“waterfall”), compare Shum. * As a Jewish surname, from Polish sum (“catfish”).