First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1aggregate
adjective ag·gre·gate \ˈa-gri-gət\
: formed by adding together two or more amounts
Full Definition of AGGREGATE
: formed by the collection of units or particles into a body, mass, or amount : collective: 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>
— ag·gre·gate·ly adverb
— ag·gre·gate·ness noun
See aggregate defined for English-language learners
See aggregate defined for kids
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Examples of AGGREGATE
- 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
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Origin of AGGREGATE
Middle English aggregat, from Latin aggregatus, past participle of aggregare to add to, from ad- + greg-, grex flock
2aggregate
verb ag·gre·gate \ˈa-gri-ˌgāt\
: to join or combine into a single group
: to equal a specified number or amount
ag·gre·gat·edag·gre·gat·ing
Full Definition of AGGREGATE
transitive verb
1
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole
2
: to amount to (a whole sum or total) : total
See aggregate defined for English-language learners
Examples of AGGREGATE
- 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
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Origin of AGGREGATE
(see 1aggregate)
First Known Use: 15th century
Related to AGGREGATE
- Synonyms
- add up (to), amount (to), come (to), count (up to), number, sum (to or into), total
Rhymes with AGGREGATE
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3aggregate
noun ag·gre·gate \ˈa-gri-gət\
: a total amount
Full Definition of AGGREGATE
1
: a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another
2
: the whole sum or amount : sum total
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 (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
: set 21
5
— in the aggregate
: considered as a whole : collectively <dividends for the year amounted in the aggregate to 25 million dollars>
See aggregate defined for English-language learners
Examples of AGGREGATE
- 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
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Origin of AGGREGATE
(see 1aggregate)
First Known Use: 15th century
Other Geology Terms
AGGREGATED Defined for Kids
1aggregate
verb ag·gre·gate \ˈa-gri-ˌgāt\
ag·gre·gat·edag·gre·gat·ing
Definition of AGGREGATE for Kids
: to collect or gather into a mass or whole <The particles of sand aggregated into giant dunes.>
2aggregate
noun ag·gre·gate \ˈa-gri-gət\
Definition of AGGREGATE for Kids
1
: a mass or body of units or parts <The rock is an aggregate of several minerals.>
2
: the whole sum or amount <They won by an aggregate of 30 points.>
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