aggregate
aggregate — noun
1. a single figure or quantity reached by joining several smaller numbers, items, o
a single figure or quantity reached by joining several smaller numbers, items, or groups so that the parts are counted as one whole.
The aggregate of donations from twelve schools paid for the new library shelves.
the aggregate of + plural noun
In the aggregate, families in the village earn less than five hundred dollars a month.
fixed phrase: in the aggregate
Maria added every receipt to find the yearly aggregate her shop had spent on flour.
Voters across the three towns delivered an aggregate of 8,400 ballots for the new mayor.
- part
any single contribution before pooling
- individual
the unpooled, separate item
文法句型
the aggregate of [things]
in (the) aggregate
用法筆記
Frequently formal and statistical; common in reports, accounting, and academic writing. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'in (the) aggregate' meaning 'when counted as one whole'.
常見錯誤
2. in football and similar two-leg knockout matches, the combined goal count from b
in football and similar two-leg knockout matches, the combined goal count from both games, used to decide which side advances when each team has won or drawn one game.
Liverpool beat Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate after a thrilling second leg in Spain.
X-Y on aggregate after the second leg
Although Arsenal won the home game, they lost on aggregate by a single goal.
win/lose on aggregate
The two clubs were tied on aggregate, so the winner had to be decided by penalties.
Bayern Munich went through to the final on aggregate, despite losing the second leg.
- combined score
plain-English equivalent used in commentary
文法句型
win/lose/draw on aggregate
X on aggregate (e.g. 4-3 on aggregate)
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'on aggregate', referring to two-leg cup ties in football, rugby, or hockey. Rare in American sports vocabulary, where teams play a 'series' instead.
常見錯誤
3. loose hard pieces — including sand, gravel, slag, or crushed rock — that get mix
loose hard pieces — including sand, gravel, slag, or crushed rock — that get mixed into cement so the resulting concrete sets strong enough for walls, floors, or roadbeds.
The truck dropped a fresh load of aggregate beside the half-built garden wall.
load/pile of aggregate
Workers shovelled coarse aggregate into the mixer before adding cement and water.
coarse/fine aggregate
Recycled aggregate from old buildings is now used to repair country roads near Hsinchu.
The new bridge needs about 200 tonnes of aggregate for its concrete deck.
文法句型
aggregate for [purpose]
mix [cement] with aggregate
用法筆記
Construction-industry term, usually uncountable. Often modified by 'fine', 'coarse', 'recycled', or 'crushed' to specify grain size or origin. Distinguish from sense 1: this aggregate is a physical material, not a calculated number.
常見錯誤
aggregate — adjective
1. describing a number, score, or value that already includes every separate contri
describing a number, score, or value that already includes every separate contribution counted as one combined figure.
The aggregate score of all five judges decided who took home the prize.
aggregate score of + group
Economists track aggregate demand to see whether the country is heading for a slowdown.
aggregate demand (economics collocation)
The aggregate weight of the parcels Dilnoza posted last week reached almost forty kilos.
Investors care more about aggregate returns than about any single quarter's profit.
- individual
of a single member rather than the whole group
- separate
kept apart rather than added
文法句型
aggregate + noun (score / value / demand / weight)
用法筆記
Almost always sits directly before a noun (attributive use). Common in finance, statistics, and sport. The closest plain-English alternative is 'total', but 'aggregate' suggests separate parts that have been deliberately added up.
常見錯誤
aggregate — verb
1. to pull separate pieces of information, results, or things together so that they
to pull separate pieces of information, results, or things together so that they can be looked at or counted as one larger group.
The website aggregates news headlines from over fifty Asian newspapers every morning.
aggregate X from Y (data sources)
Researchers aggregated the test scores of ten thousand students before publishing the report.
aggregate scores before reporting
Small donations from readers aggregate into a fund that pays for free legal advice.
Hospitals across Taipei aggregate patient records so that doctors can spot wider trends.
- separate
to keep the parts apart
- disaggregate
the formal opposite: to break a total back into its parts
文法句型
aggregate [data / scores / items]
aggregate X from Y
aggregate into [a whole]
用法筆記
Common in tech, journalism, and research contexts where data from many sources is gathered for analysis. The transitive use far outweighs the intransitive in modern writing.
常見錯誤
2. of several amounts, to come to a particular sum when every part is counted; to t
of several amounts, to come to a particular sum when every part is counted; to total a stated figure.
Donations from the school fundraiser aggregated almost twenty thousand dollars by Friday.
subject (multiple amounts) aggregated + figure
Last year's exports aggregated more than three billion euros, a record for the region.
exports aggregated + figure
The fines paid by the four banks aggregated a sum the regulator had never seen before.
Profits from the chain's branches aggregated nearly half a million pounds last quarter.
文法句型
X aggregates [a number/sum]
the figures aggregate $N
用法筆記
Rare and formal; mostly seen in finance, trade, or legal writing. Subject is usually a plural set of amounts (donations, profits, fines, exports). Distinguish from sense 1: here the verb takes a number as its object instead of taking the parts as its object.