overall sum

USAGE SUMMARY

"overall sum" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to refer to the entirety of a quantity, as in "The overall sum of the donations was $20,000."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

While the overall sum is large, the money will flow to different parties.

The New York Times

Despite the relatively low cost for high-speed Internet, that overall sum, most experts here agree, is close to the limit of what ordinary families will pay.

The New York Times

"A pay structure with a low variable and a higher fixed salary," he said, "actually provides better incentives, even if the overall sum is the same".

The New York Times

Ireland will provide €17.5 billion of the overall sum from its own reserves (including pension-related funds).

The Economist

According to Utilitarianism, which considers the goodness of an action to reside in how much it increases the overall sum of happiness, there is no problem for Jim - he should simply kill one of them.

The Guardian

This makes little sense in conventional economic terms: going to school is so beneficial that families should not need extra incentives and the overall sum available did not change.

The Economist

There is a peculiarity, however, in that momentum is a vector, involving both the direction and the magnitude of motion, so that the momenta of objects going in opposite directions can cancel to yield an overall sum of zero.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The objective function minimizes the overall sum of the reactor volumes.

Chemical Engineering Journal

These schedulers aim at minimizing the overall sum of transaction times.

EURASIP Journal on Embedded Systems

"Fed communications of one sort or another have fairly well telegraphed little appetite for increasing this overall sum," Feroli said.

Forbes

Table 4 Intercorrelations between the DISC's overall sum score and the sum scores on schema level (N = 569).

Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "overall sum" when you want to emphasize the final or total amount resulting from a calculation or aggregation, especially when multiple components are involved.

Common error

Avoid using "overall sum" when referring to a single, non-aggregated quantity. For single quantities, terms like "amount" or "value" are more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "overall sum" functions primarily as a noun phrase, typically serving as the subject or object of a sentence. Ludwig AI identifies its role in denoting a final, comprehensive quantity derived from multiple components or calculations. Examples in Ludwig illustrate its use in various contexts like finance, science and research.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

57%

News & Media

25%

Formal & Business

7%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

2%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "overall sum" is a grammatically correct and frequently used noun phrase that signifies a comprehensive total or final amount. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and provides numerous examples across diverse contexts like science, news, and business. It's particularly useful when emphasizing that a quantity results from aggregating multiple components. While versatile, it's best suited for neutral to formal registers, and should be avoided when referring to singular, non-aggregated values. Alternative phrases like ""total amount"" or ""grand total"" can be used for variety. However, avoid redundancy by not using "overall total sum".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

entire sum

Replaces "overall" with "entire", emphasizing completeness.

total amount

Focuses on the final quantity obtained after addition or calculation.

total figure

Similar to "total amount" but emphasizes the numerical representation.

aggregate total

Emphasizes the process of combining individual elements to reach a final number.

combined total

Highlights the action of bringing different values together.

grand total

Implies a final calculation that encompasses all relevant figures.

cumulative amount

Highlights the accumulation of values over time or across different categories.

net amount

Focuses on the final amount after deductions or adjustments.

final tally

Suggests a concluding count or reckoning.

total expenditure

Refers to the combined spending or costs.

FAQs

How is "overall sum" used in a sentence?

The phrase "overall sum" refers to the total quantity or amount. For example, "The "overall sum" of the donations exceeded our expectations".

What are some synonyms for "overall sum"?

Alternatives to "overall sum" include "total amount", "aggregate total", and "grand total".

Is it redundant to say "overall total sum"?

Yes, "overall total sum" is redundant. "Sum" already implies a total, so using "total" again is unnecessary. "Overall sum" is sufficient.

When should I use "overall sum" versus "total"?

Use "overall sum" when you want to emphasize that the total is derived from multiple components or a comprehensive calculation. "Total" is a more general term. For instance, use "overall sum" when discussing the final amount after combining several financial transactions.