Meaning & use
sum it all up
Last updated
Meanings
phrasetransitive
To give a short statement of the main points of something; to summarize.
Grammar: Takes an object: sum it all up. The pronoun 'it' comes before 'all up'.
Patterns
- sum it all up
- sum something all up
Let me sum it all up: we need more time and money.
She summed it all up in a few sentences.
To sum it all up, the project was a success.
phrasetransitive
To make a final judgment or conclusion about something after considering all the details.
Grammar: Often used in the passive: it all sums up to something.
Patterns
- it all sums up to something
It all sums up to a simple fact: we must try harder.
All the evidence sums up to one conclusion.
Common combinations
- sum it all up in a nutshell
- He summed it all up in a nutshell.
- to sum it all up
- To sum it all up, we had a great time.
- sum up the situation
- Can you sum up the situation for me?
Synonyms and how they differ
- summarize
- Summarize is more formal and neutral; sum it all up is informal and often used in speech.
- sum up
- Sum up is similar but shorter; sum it all up emphasizes the completeness of the summary.
- recap
- Recap is informal and means to repeat the main points; sum it all up means to give a summary, often for the first time.
Commonly confused: sum it all up or sum?
sum it all up vs sum
As a verb, 'sum' means to add numbers (sum the totals). 'Sum it all up' is a phrasal verb meaning to summarize.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'Let me ____ the main points.'
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'sum it all up', with 'it' before 'all up'. The other options place the words in the wrong order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sum it all up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.