ag·gre·gate
ˈa-gri-gət 
: formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount : collective: such as
a(1)
: clustered in a dense mass or head
an aggregate flower
(2)
: formed from several separate ovaries of a single flower
aggregate fruit
b
: composed of mineral crystals of one or more kinds or of mineral rock fragments
c
: taking all units as a whole
aggregate sales
aggregately
adverb
aggregateness
noun
ag·gre·gate
ˈa-gri-ˌgāt
aggregated; aggregating
1
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole
The census data were aggregated by gender.
2
: to amount to (a whole sum or total) : total
audiences aggregating several million people
ag·gre·gate
ˈa-gri-gət
1
: a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another
Froth is an aggregate of tiny bubbles.
2
: the whole sum or amount : sum total
spent an aggregate of 10 million dollars in advertising during the past three years
3
a
: a rock composed of mineral crystals of one or more kinds or of mineral rock fragments : an aggregate rock
b
: any of several hard inert materials (such as sand, gravel, or slag) used for mixing with a cementing material to form concrete, mortar, or plaster
c
: a clustered mass of individual soil particles varied in shape, ranging in size from a microscopic granule to a small crumb, and considered the basic structural unit of soil
4
Did you know?
We added aggregate to our flock of Latin borrowings in the 15th century. It descends from aggregāre ("to cause to flock together" or "to join together"), a Latin verb made up of the prefix ad- (which means "to," and which usually changes to ag- before a g) and greg- or grex (meaning "flock, herd, or group"). Greg- also gave us congregate, gregarious, and segregate. Aggregate is commonly employed in the phrase "in the aggregate," which means "considered as a whole." Aggregate also has some specialized senses. For example, it is used to describe a mass of minerals formed into a rock, and materials like sand or gravel that are used to form concrete, mortar, or plaster.
Synonyms
Examples of aggregate in a Sentence
Adjective
There were to be thirty-seven playgrounds, twenty schools. There were to be a hundred and thirty-three miles of street, paved with an inch and a half of No. 2 macadam on an aggregate base.
—
Joan Didion, New Yorker, 26 July 1993
Their success at opening up new sources of supply, generating and servicing demand, and connecting new markets with the processing industries of the Amsterdam entrepôt seemed … to belie the axiom of an inelastic aggregate volume of world trade—a zero-sum competition.
—Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988
The mulberry looks a bit like a raspberry. But the raspberry (along with the other brambles, members of the genus Rubus, such as the blackberry) is an aggregate fruit generated by a single, if complex, flower.
—Raymond Sokolov, Natural History, October 1986
With Keynes, standard theory conceded that disequilibria might intrude upon the economy as a whole, but it held that these could be remedied by judicious stabilization of aggregate demand—that is, combined government and consumer purchasing power.
—Robert Kuttner, Atlantic, February 1985
The university receives more than half its aggregate income from government sources.
The team with the highest aggregate score wins.
Verb
The problem, in this case, is that the synergy creates incentives for segregation. Ethnic advertisers scour the TV schedule for shows and channels that "aggregate" viewers of the type the client wants to reach …
—Tamar Jacoby, New Republic, 24 Jan. 2000
"We are good at aggregating eyeballs and delivering services," says Barry Schuler, the president of AOL Interactive Services, "and the Time Warner deal is a natural extension of that."
—Barry Schuler, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2000
Pollsters, for the most part, know perfectly well what they are doing. One thing they are doing is aggregating and averaging ephemeral spasms of "mood" that may have commercial or political value.
—Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, April 1992
… covered only if each of the corporations involved has capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating more than $10 million …
—Joe Sims et al., National Law Journal, 28 Jan. 1991
The website aggregates content from many other sites.
over time, her petty thefts aggregated a significant shortfall in the company's books
Noun
In particular, a core of popular politically minded blogs known in the aggregate as the Blogosphere has been a beehive of furious activity. Or should I say a wasp's nest?
—Steven Levy, Newsweek, 4 Oct. 2004
It's true that our lives are the aggregate of a lot of little things, that's precisely why, at least once a year, we need to ride the wave of something bigger and bolder than our own little humdrum existence.
—Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Sept. 2002
Smallness of enterprises, as in the Japanese bicycle-manufacturing development, is an asset because smallness cuts down administrative and other overhead costs both in individual enterprises and in the aggregate, in comparison with the overhead costs of large operations.
—Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, (1984) 1985
numerous episodes of pilferage, taken in the aggregate, can really add up to a significant sum
Joan Didion, New Yorker, 26 July 1993
Their success at opening up new sources of supply, generating and servicing demand, and connecting new markets with the processing industries of the Amsterdam entrepôt seemed … to belie the axiom of an inelastic aggregate volume of world trade—a zero-sum competition.
—Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988
The mulberry looks a bit like a raspberry. But the raspberry (along with the other brambles, members of the genus Rubus, such as the blackberry) is an aggregate fruit generated by a single, if complex, flower.
—Raymond Sokolov, Natural History, October 1986
With Keynes, standard theory conceded that disequilibria might intrude upon the economy as a whole, but it held that these could be remedied by judicious stabilization of aggregate demand—that is, combined government and consumer purchasing power.
—Robert Kuttner, Atlantic, February 1985
The university receives more than half its aggregate income from government sources.
The team with the highest aggregate score wins.
Verb
The problem, in this case, is that the synergy creates incentives for segregation. Ethnic advertisers scour the TV schedule for shows and channels that "aggregate" viewers of the type the client wants to reach …
—Tamar Jacoby, New Republic, 24 Jan. 2000
"We are good at aggregating eyeballs and delivering services," says Barry Schuler, the president of AOL Interactive Services, "and the Time Warner deal is a natural extension of that."
—Barry Schuler, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2000
Pollsters, for the most part, know perfectly well what they are doing. One thing they are doing is aggregating and averaging ephemeral spasms of "mood" that may have commercial or political value.
—Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, April 1992
… covered only if each of the corporations involved has capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating more than $10 million …
—Joe Sims et al., National Law Journal, 28 Jan. 1991
The website aggregates content from many other sites.
over time, her petty thefts aggregated a significant shortfall in the company's books
Noun
In particular, a core of popular politically minded blogs known in the aggregate as the Blogosphere has been a beehive of furious activity. Or should I say a wasp's nest?
—Steven Levy, Newsweek, 4 Oct. 2004
It's true that our lives are the aggregate of a lot of little things, that's precisely why, at least once a year, we need to ride the wave of something bigger and bolder than our own little humdrum existence.
—Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Sept. 2002
Smallness of enterprises, as in the Japanese bicycle-manufacturing development, is an asset because smallness cuts down administrative and other overhead costs both in individual enterprises and in the aggregate, in comparison with the overhead costs of large operations.
—Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, (1984) 1985
numerous episodes of pilferage, taken in the aggregate, can really add up to a significant sum
Recent Examples on the Web
Quartz Bot, Quartz, 20 Nov. 2024
The Democrats have proposed a slew of spending programs and stimulus initiatives, many of which are likely to reheat aggregate demand in the U.S. economy.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Jeff Asher is a former CIA analyst who studies crime data and recently rolled out the Real-Time Crime Index, a web tool that will aggregate monthly crime data, from 500 to 1,000 local police departments to visualize nationwide crime trends.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 2 Oct. 2024
Nick Wells, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024
The fine print: The figures are calculated by creating state aggregates and including payments made on behalf of public school systems, such as education agencies.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for aggregate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The company entered into Subscription Agreements during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, receiving total aggregate proceeds of $1,182,000.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 20 Nov. 2024
The Democrats have proposed a slew of spending programs and stimulus initiatives, many of which are likely to reheat aggregate demand in the U.S. economy.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Data from the 19 states was aggregated and adjusted based on population to ensure fair comparisons.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Jeff Asher is a former CIA analyst who studies crime data and recently rolled out the Real-Time Crime Index, a web tool that will aggregate monthly crime data, from 500 to 1,000 local police departments to visualize nationwide crime trends.
—Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 2 Oct. 2024
Noun
Two Tesla directors exercised options on an aggregate of more than $60 million worth of shares: Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold $34.6 million in company shares on Nov. 11, pursuant to a 10b5-1 trading plan adopted Aug. 12.
—Nick Wells, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024
The fine print: The figures are calculated by creating state aggregates and including payments made on behalf of public school systems, such as education agencies.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for aggregate
Dictionary Entries Near aggregate
Cite this Entry
“Aggregate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aggregate. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
aggregate
1 of 3 adjective
ag·gre·gate
ˈag-ri-gət
1
: formed by the collection of units or particles into one mass or sum
aggregate expenses
2
: clustered in a dense mass or head
an aggregate flower
aggregate
2 of 3 verb
ag·gre·gate
ˈag-ri-ˌgāt
aggregated; aggregating
1
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole
2
: to amount to as a whole : total
aggregate
3 of 3 noun
ag·gre·gate
ˈag-ri-gət
1
: a collection or sum of units or parts
2
a
: a hard material (as sand or gravel) used especially in making concrete
b
: a clustered mass of individual soil particles considered the basic structural unit of soil
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English aggregat "made up of a collection," derived from Latin aggregare "to cause to join together," from ag-, ad- "to, toward" and greg-, grex "flock, herd" — related to congregate, segregate
Medical Definition
aggregate
1 of 3 adjective
ag·gre·gate
ˈag-ri-gət
: formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount
aggregation
noun
It is now known that these calcifications represent focal aggregations of calcium hydroxyapatite …
—Medical Radiography & Photography
Medical Radiography & Photography
aggregate
2 of 3 transitive verb
ag·gre·gate
-ˌgāt
aggregated; aggregating
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole
aggregated human albumin
aggregate
3 of 3 noun
ag·gre·gate
-gət
: a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another
Legal Definition
aggregate
1 of 3 adjective
ag·gre·gate
ˈa-grə-gət
: taken as a total
aggregate liability
aggregate
2 of 3 verb
ag·gre·gate
ˈa-grə-ˌgāt
aggregated; aggregating
1
: to combine or gather into a whole
class members may aggregate their individual claims
compare join
2
: to amount to
an award aggregating $100,000
: to form an aggregate
they may not aggregate if their claims are regarded as “separate and distinct”—J. M. Landers et al.
J. M. Landers et al.aggregate
3 of 3 noun
ag·gre·gate
ˈa-grə-gət
1
: total amount
may sue in federal court if the aggregate of the claims exceeds $75,000
2
: a whole made up of individual units
the aggregate of operative facts
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