sum total

noun

1. complete numerical total:

   the sum total of my savings.

2. essence; substance:

   The sum total of research in the field.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sum total¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Idioms and Phrases

The entirety, everything, as in I spent all day in the kitchen and the sum total of my efforts is this cake . [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

The sum total of these ideas is our culture, which “makes our individual lives rich and fulfilling,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

In other words, the sum total of that company’s annual contracts adds up to the equivalent of the entire U.S. budget for diplomacy.

From Salon

Until then, Dr. Kotchick said, the sum total of his nautical experience had been riding ferries.

From New York Times

While little is known of her early years, here is the sum total of what we do know.

From Scientific American

Over the last three years, Constantine said, inflation has been a sum total of nearly 23%.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• summation
• totality