greater/better/more than the sum of its parts

idiom

—used to say that something is better or more effective as a team, combination, etc., than would be expected when looking at the different parts that form it

The team lacks standout players, but it has proved to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Examples of greater/better/more than the sum of its parts in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These help in their own right to brighten and repair skin, while squalane and meadowfoam seed oil help support the skin barrier, making for a product that’s more than the sum of its parts. —Deanna Pai, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2024

The impact of this alignment will be greater than the sum of its parts, amplifying the challenge to U.S. interests that each state poses individually. —Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2021

In interviews with Scientific American, scientists emphasized that VIPER’s whole was more than the sum of its parts. —Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 24 July 2024

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