Meanings
sum1
plural sums
- A quantity obtained by addition or aggregation.
The sum of 3 and 4 is 7.
2 more examples
Take yee the ſumme of all the Congregation of the children of Iſrael,[…]
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 1:2, columns 1–2"Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing."
a. 2004, Jimmy Wales, quotee, “Wikipedia:Prime objective”, in Wikipedia - oftenpluralAn 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.
3 more examples
[…] a large sheet of paper […] covered with long sums […]
1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, “The Emigrants”, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 572‘But enough of doing sums for to-day, and what about that procession?’ ‘I’m on,’ said Egbert.
1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 11"I think it was a disgraceful performance from a captain that got his sums wrong today, and I think it should never be permitted to happen again."
1981, Lisa Valentin, quoting Richie Benaud, “The day Richie Benaud stood up for principle over patriotism”, in Stuff, published 11 April 2015Synonyms: calculation, computation
- A quantity of money.
a tidy sum
3 more examples
the sum of forty pounds
[…]With a great ſumme obteined I this freedome.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 22:28, column 1Merchant Opold: This one promised compensation for services rendered. It humbly suggests that a sum of 250 credits would be most appropriate. Shepard: Would you have had any chance of getting this past customs without me? You can be a bit more generous. Merchant Opold: The other's words possess the discomforting ring of truth. Merchant Opold: This one could raise the sum to 500 credits. That is half this one's profit taken by the other. It can offer no more.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: NoveriaSynonyms: amount, quantity of money, sum of money
- A summary; the principal points or thoughts when viewed together; the substance.
This is the sum of all the evidence in the case.
1 more example
This is the sum and substance of his objections.
Synonyms: compendium, summation, abridgment, abstract, bottom line, compendium, conspectus, digest
- literaryrareThe utmost degree; the greatest or most perfect realization (of some concept).
Thus I have told thee all my State, and brought / My Storie to the ſum of earthly bliſs[…]
1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 1158–11591 more example
Our wisdom and skill cannot save us from accidents, pains, and from that sum of all fears and distresses—death.
1877, Rev. Thomas H. Leale, chapter 2, in A Homiletic Commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, page 32Synonyms: summit, apex, apogee, crest, crown, culmen, fastigium, height
- obsoleteAn old English measure of corn equal to the quarter.
The sum is also used for the quarter, and the strike for the bushel.
1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 207
present singular third person sums · participle present summing · participle past summed · past summed
- transitiveTo add together.
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.
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 250bSynonyms: add, add together, add up, cast, count up, foot up, reckon up, sum up
sum2
plural sums · plural sumy · alternative som · alternative soum
- The basic unit of money in Kyrgyzstan.
- The basic unit of money in Uzbekistan.
sum3
- Internetpronunciation spellingAfrican-American VernacularEye dialect spelling of some.
Females can smell when they nigga doing sum sneaky shit 😂
2022 August 6, @npreeko, Twitter, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2024
- Internetpronunciation spellingAfrican-American VernacularPronunciation spelling of something.
21 went a lil sum like this🎈
2022 August 16, @Theylovetripp, Twitter, archived from the original on 27 Jan 20244 more examples
Tony hawk such a fire name bro was bound to do sum cool
2022 January 17, @TheWeeklyShift, Twitter, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2024we got a lil sum goin on over here
2022 March 15, @UNITYTX, Twitter, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2024It's good to have a man but that ain't sum I need
2022 September 22, @ella_thereal, Twitter, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2024ion like no ngga that make me repeat myself , why tf you steady doing sum ion like
2023 April 22, @noonie_2x, Twitter, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2024Synonyms: sumn
sum4
plural sums · alternative Russia somon · alternative Russia sumon · alternative China sometimes sumu
- 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.
Sum5
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn arithmetic computation, especially one posed to a student as an exercise (not necessarily limited to addition).
nounA quantity of money.
nounA summary; the principal points or thoughts when viewed together; the substance.
nounA central idea or point; gist.
nounThe utmost degree; the greatest or most perfect realization (of some concept).
verbTo add together.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
verbdetermine the sum of
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sum · noun, verb
- Latinsumma“highest point; sum”
- Old Frenchsumme
- Middle Englishsumme
- Englishsum
From Middle English summe, from Old French summe, from Latin summa (“highest point; sum”), from summus (“highest”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →sum · noun
- Uzbeksoʻm
- Uyghurسوم
- Kyrgyzсом
- Kazakhсом
- Englishsum
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.
More words from Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uyghur
Full word history & related roots →sum · noun
- Proto-Mongolic*sumun“arrow”
- mncᠨᡳᡵᡠ“a large arrow, militia company, district”
- Mongolianсум
- Englishsum
From Mongolian сум (sum), from Manchu ᠨᡳᡵᡠ (niru, “a large arrow, militia company, district”). Ultimately from Proto-Mongolic *sumun (“arrow”).
More words from Mongolian, mnc, Proto-Mongolic
Full word history & related roots →Sum · proper noun
- Polishsum“catfish”
- EnglishSum
* 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”).
More words from Polish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَجْمُوع, مَبْلَغ
- مَجْمُوع (majmūʕ)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- مَبْلَغ (mablaḡ)quantity of money
Bulgarian су́ма, сбор
- су́ма (súma)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- сбор (sbor)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- зада́ча (zadáča)arithmetic problem
- сума (suma)quantity of money
- съ́щност (sắštnost)central idea or point
- сумирам (sumiram)to add together
- събирам (săbiram)to add together
Catalan suma, suma
- sumaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sumaquantity of money
Chinese Mandarin 總和 /总和, 總數 /总数
- 總和 /总和 (zǒnghé)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- 總數 /总数 (zǒngshù)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- 金額 /金额 (jīn'é)quantity of money
Czech součet, suma
- součetquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sumaquantity of money
- částkaquantity of money
Dutch som, rekensom
- somquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- rekensomarithmetic problem
- somarithmetic problem
- somquantity of money
- optellento add together
- bijeentellento add together
Estonian summa, somm
- summaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sommbasic unit of money in Kyrgyzstan
- sommbasic unit of money in Uzbekistan
Finnish summa, laskutehtävä
- summaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- laskutehtäväarithmetic problem
- summaquantity of money
- summatato add together
- ynnätäto add together
- laskea yhteento add together
French somme, calcul
- sommequantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- calcularithmetic problem
- sommequantity of money
- additionnerto add together
German Summe, Summe
- Summequantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- Summequantity of money
- summierento add together
Greek άθροισμα, πράξη
- άθροισμα (áthroisma)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- πράξη (práxi)arithmetic problem
- ποσό (posó)quantity of money
- αθροίζω (athroízo)to add together
Hebrew סְכוּם, סְכוּם
- סְכוּם (s'khum)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- סְכוּם (s'khum)quantity of money
Hungarian összeg
- összegquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Icelandic summa, samtala
- summaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- samtalaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- upphæðquantity of money
Italian somma, somma
- sommaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sommaarithmetic problem
- sommaquantity of money
- sommareto add together
Japanese 総額, 金額
- 総額 (sōgaku)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- 金額 (kingaku)quantity of money
Korean 합계, 총화
- 합계 (hapgye)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- 총화 (chonghwa)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- 금액 (geumaek)quantity of money
- 액수 (aeksu)quantity of money
Latin summa, summa
- summaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- summacentral idea or point
- summaobsolete: old English measure of corn
Malay hasil tambah, jumlah
- hasil tambahquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- jumlahquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Māori tapeke, otinga tāpiri
- tapekequantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- otinga tāpiriquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- pūranga moniquantity of money
Norwegian Bokmål sum, sum
- sumquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sumarithmetic problem
- sumquantity of money
- beløpquantity of money
Persian مجموع
- مجموع (majmu')quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Polish suma, suma
- sumaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sumaarithmetic problem
- sumaquantity of money
- sumowaćto add together
- zsumowaćto add together
- zsumowywaćto add together
Portuguese soma, soma
- somaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- somaarithmetic problem
- adiçãoarithmetic problem
- quantiaquantity of money
- somarto add together
Romanian sumă, sumă
- sumăquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- sumăarithmetic problem
- sumăquantity of money
- însumato add together
Russian су́мма, зада́ча
- су́мма (súmma)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- зада́ча (zadáča)arithmetic problem
- су́мма (súmma)quantity of money
- суть (sutʹ)central idea or point
- сумми́ровать (summírovatʹ)to add together
- скла́дывать (skládyvatʹ)to add together
- сложи́ть (složítʹ)to add together
- сум (sum)basic unit of money in Uzbekistan
Scottish Gaelic suim, suim
- suimquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- suimquantity of money
Slovak súčet
- súčetquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Spanish suma, adición
- sumaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- adiciónquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- cantidadquantity of money
- sumaquantity of money
- sumarto add together
Swahili jumla
- jumlaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Swedish summa, matematikexempel
- summaquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- matematikexempelarithmetic problem
- matematikuppgiftarithmetic problem
- räkneuppgiftarithmetic problem
- beloppquantity of money
- summaquantity of money
- kontentacentral idea or point
- kärnacentral idea or point
- adderato add together
- summerato add together
- sombasic unit of money in Kyrgyzstan
- sombasic unit of money in Uzbekistan
Tagalog dagup
- dagupquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Turkish toplam, yekûn
- toplamquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- yekûnquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- meblağquantity of money
- toplamakto add together
Ukrainian су́ма, сом
- су́ма (súma)quantity obtained by addition or aggregation
- сом (som)basic unit of money in Kyrgyzstan
Vietnamese tổng số
- tổng sốquantity obtained by addition or aggregation
Welsh swm
- swmarithmetic problem
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sum
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
sum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sum
“sum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sum. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sum.
Source: sum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.