sum

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [C] ~ (of sth) an amount of money: You will be fined the sum of ｣200. * a large sum of money * a six-figure sum * Huge sums have been invested in this project. seealsoLUMPSUM 2 [C,usually sing.] ~ (of sth) the number you get when you add two or more numbers together: The sum of 7 and 12 is 19. 3 (also sum total) [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 to be better or more effective as a group than you would think just by looking at the individual members of the group in sum (formal) used to introduce a short statement of the main points of a discussion, speech, etc: In sum, we have no chance of winning the case. verb (-mm-) PHRASALVERBS sum up