How to Use greater/better/more than the sum of its parts in a Sentence

greater/better/more than the sum of its parts

idiom
Definition of greater/better/more than the sum of its partsnext
  • So that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 28 June 2023
  • The whole isn’t always greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2024
  • But as with the best stories, the truth is more than the sum of its parts.
    — Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024
  • The axis of the sanctioned will be more than the sum of its parts.
    — Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Now this is a recipe truly greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Michelle Huneven, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2023
  • This is the first of the group’s projects to sound greater than the sum of its parts, to feel singular.
    — Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2021
  • The filling becomes much greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Chandler Boese, Kansas City Star, 18 Jan. 2024
  • And those virtues and talents combine to form a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 8 Apr. 2023
  • Sonically, though, the duo is greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2022
  • Used as a guesthouse, just as his mom had hoped, the cottage is now much more than the sum of its parts.
    — Amanda Sims Clifford, House Beautiful, 26 Jan. 2023
  • But food, like other aspects of culture, is more than the sum of its parts.
    — Emiene Wright, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024
  • After all, just like any team, a company's brand is worth more than the sum of its parts.
    — Aimee Meester, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • The works in the show involve actual art and actual science, and the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 20 Sep. 2024
  • Its power comes from a shared sense of community that is more than the sum of its parts.
    — J. Clara Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Leave room for chè chuối, a dessert of tapioca, coconut and banana that is more than the sum of its parts ($11).
    — Chelsea Conaboy, New York Times, 20 June 2024
  • Of course, a great hotel is greater than the sum of its parts, no matter how exquisite those parts may be.
    — Peter Terzian, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2021
  • Here, each voice works to create something greater than the sum of its parts, which is rare for supergroups.
    — Bobby Olivier, SPIN, 31 Mar. 2023
  • All those things happened together and the look became greater than the sum of its parts somehow.
    — Monica Corcoran Harel, Variety, 9 Mar. 2023
  • But Apple is betting that its AI offering will be greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 June 2024
  • Our final impression after a tour aboard: The Absolute 52 Fly was more than the sum of its parts.
    — Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2023
  • When done thoughtfully, the combination can yield an output greater than the sum of its parts.
    — Jeff Yasuda, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • But the finished product is something special – the sweetness of the chocolate, the flake of the croissant and the tang of the sourdough work together to become more than the sum of its parts.
    — oregonlive, 20 July 2023
  • In the past, physics has shown that this approach of trying to understand a unit as more than the sum of its parts is at the heart of many complex phenomena.
    — Quanta Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023
  • Forget lonely pearls and single crystals, these clusters show that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Tiaras and crowns to embody your higher self.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2023
  • But Bielsa’s team was far more than the sum of its parts and without the Argentinean in charge, those parts couldn’t function anywhere nearly as well.
    — Steve Price, Forbes, 3 May 2023
  • While there will be vendors, performances, meet-and-greets, wig and sewing workshops and more, at its core, RuPaul’s DragCon is so much more than the sum of its parts.
    — Candace Hansen, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023
  • At first glance, a garden might seem to hold nothing more than the sum of its parts: flowers, greenery, perhaps some fruit trees or vegetable patches.
    — Maya Chung, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
  • But one fabulous bullpen stretch later, with the entire Dodgers pitching staff clearly greater than the sum of its parts, those questions have been answered.
    — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • But Jefferson overlays the story’s most biting wit with layers of warmth, sadness and discovery that make this movie far more than the sum of its parts.
    — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Finca Cortesin is more than the sum of its parts, but each part has been created by someone of significant talent.
    — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'greater/better/more than the sum of its parts.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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