/ sʌm; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] sum (of sth) an amount of money :
You will be fined the sum of £200.
a large sum of money
a six-figure sum
—see also lump sum
2.
[ C , usually sing. ] sum (of sth) the number you get when you add two or more numbers together :
The sum of 7 and 12 is 19.
3.
(also ˌsum ˈtotal ) [ sing. ] the ~ of sth all of sth, especially when you think that it is not very much :
This is the sum of my achievements so far.
4.
[ C ] a simple problem that involves calculating numbers :
to do a sum in your head
I was good at sums at school.
If I've got my sums right, I should be able to afford the rent.
•
IDIOMS
- be greater / more than the sum of its parts
- in sum
■ verb
( -mm- )
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- sum up | sum sth up
- sum sb/sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : via Old French from Latin summa main part, sum total, feminine of summus highest.