[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sum.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / sum

[← S](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/S/)

# sum

«sum» in Mova's school dictionary: **the answer you get when you add numbers together: the sum…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun, verb (sum, sums, summed, summing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) The sum is the answer you get when you add numbers together: the sum of 3 and 4 is 7. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#m1)

2) A sum (UK) is a maths problem: do your sums. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#m2)

3) A sum of money is an amount of money. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#m3)

4) To sum up is to say the main points briefly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

Maths: the result of addition; a strong clue for addition; «the sum of two numbers is 20» — find the missing number by subtracting. Everyday: a large sum of money, lump sum. Writing: to sum up, in sum.

### examples

- What is the sum of 7 and 8? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x1)
- The sum of two numbers is 20. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x2)
- She saved a sum of 50 dollars. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x3)
- Find the sum of all the apples. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x4)
- We did ten sums in class today. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x5)
- The sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x6)
- To sum up, the plan worked well. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x7)
- Add the column to find the sum. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x8)
- "Ah," said Nigel, "can you do sums?" [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/#x9)

### note

Countable noun; verb doubles the m: summed. A strong clue for addition. Trap: if the sum and one number are given, find the other by subtracting. Trap: «sum» sounds like «some». In the UK «sums» can mean any maths exercises, not only adding.

### In the corpora

- [Computers are fast at sums and storing facts but weak at common sense, such as knowing when a joke hurts someone.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/3-sounding-right-and-being-right/15/)
- [Some chatbots guess numbers like words, so big sums can come out wrong; check with a calculator.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/4-stories-jokes-and-riddles/11/)
- [Fine for checking, bad if you never learn your sums.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/10-using-ai-to-learn-not-to-copy/1/)
- [Over a hundred years ago a horse called Clever Hans seemed to do sums by tapping his hoof.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/389-how-scientists-test-animal-minds-the-mirror-test-puzzle-boxes-and-clever-hans/2/)
- [Stole a horse—sold him for a large sum of money!](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/18/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «sum» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sum/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.