used when comparing or contrasting sb/sth with a group of other people or things to mean 'combined' or 'in total' :
Your department spent more last year than all the others put together.
used when comparing or contrasting sb/sth with a group of other people or things to mean 'combined' or 'in total' :
Your department spent more last year than all the others put together.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005