tally

American  

[tal-ee] / ˈtæl i /

noun

tallies plural

1. an account or reckoning; a record of debit and credit, of the score of a game, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   enumeration, count, inventory

2. Also called tally stick.  a stick of wood with notches cut to indicate the amount of a debt or payment, often split lengthwise across the notches, the debtor retaining one piece and the creditor the other.

3. anything on which a score or account is kept.

4. a notch or mark made on or in a tally.

5. a number or group of items recorded.

6. a mark made to register a certain number of items, as four consecutive vertical lines with a diagonal line through them to indicate a group of five.

7. a number of objects serving as a unit of computation.

8. a ticket, label, or mark used as a means of identification, classification, etc.

9. anything corresponding to another thing as a counterpart or duplicate.

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verb (used with object)

tallies, present (3rd person singular) tallied, past participle, past tallying present participle

1. to mark or enter on a tally; register; record.

   Synonyms:

   list, enroll

2. to count or reckon up.

   Synonyms:

   calculate, enumerate

3. to furnish with a tally or identifying label.

4. to cause to correspond or agree.

verb (used without object)

tallies, present (3rd person singular) tallied, past participle, past tallying present participle

1. to correspond, as one part of a tally with the other; accord or agree.

   Does his story tally with hers?

2. to score a point or make a goal, as in a game.

tally British  

/ ˈtælɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to correspond one with the other

   the two stories don't tally

2. (tr) to supply with an identifying tag

3. (intr) to keep score

4. obsolete (tr) to record or mark

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noun

1. any record of debit, credit, the score in a game, etc

2. a ticket, label, or mark, used as a means of identification, classification, etc

3. a counterpart or duplicate of something, such as the counterfoil of a cheque

4. a stick used (esp formerly) as a record of the amount of a debt according to the notches cut in it

5. a notch or mark cut in or made on such a stick

6. a mark or number of marks used to represent a certain number in counting

7. the total number of sheep shorn by one shearer in a specified period of time

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retally
  noun
• tallier
  noun
• untallied
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tallies
  plural

Participles

• tallying
  present
• tallied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tally
  simple
• tallies
  simple
• have tallied
  perfect
• has tallied
  perfect
• am tallying
  progressive
• are tallying
  progressive
• is tallying
  progressive
• have been tallying
  perfect progressive
• has been tallying
  perfect progressive

Past

• tallied
  simple
• had tallied
  perfect
• was tallying
  progressive
• were tallying
  progressive
• had been tallying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tally
  simple
• will have tallied
  perfect
• will be tallying
  progressive
• will have been tallying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tally

1275–1325; (noun) Middle English taly < Medieval Latin talia, variant of Latin tālea rod, cutting, literally, heel-piece, derivative of tālus heel; (v.) late Middle English talyen, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A tally is a continuous count of something, like the number of words in a document, or the number of favors your best friend owes you. To tally is to add up, like keeping the score of a game. The word tally has to do with counting. It comes from the Latin word for “stick” because people used to keep a tally by marking a stick. Tally can be the total, or the act of adding it all up. If you count the bikers riding by, your count is a tally. As a verb, tally is used for keeping score. Two friends playing basketball need to tally the points after each basket so they don't lose track.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tally tallies tallied tallying

By late June, fuel-rationing measures were in effect in 56 regions of Russia, according to a tally by Mediazona, an independent Russian media outlet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

This list now stretches to more than 20 countries, including five where restrictions are already in force, according to an AFP tally.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

They have received eight since 2022 - double the tally of any other side - including a record five during their victorious campaign, and three already in 2026.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

For nearly 70 years, Just Fontaine’s tally of 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup was considered untouchable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

With training, a person could multiply with Indian numerals faster than an abacist could tally.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

That isn’t to say Microsoft isn’t raking in cash: the company’s most recent earnings report tallies nearly $32 billion in net income in the last fiscal year.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

His change in tone tallies with his on-field performances.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

There are no tallies of individual profits and losses, like at other firms, encouraging collegiality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Pratt’s campaign team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment after the latest vote tallies were released Sunday night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

Some bridge tallies with tassels on them, two pairs of white kid gloves.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Over the past decade, the low-volatility ETF has tallied a fraction of the returns seen by the momentum ETF.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

One, who would go on to play at the University of Iowa, eventually tallied 46 receptions and 962 yards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Despite questions raised about the pace of the vote count, a Times analysis found ballots this June were tallied faster than in previous cycles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

In the first round, De la Espriella won 44 percent of the vote against his nearest rival, leftist Ivan Cepeda, who tallied 41 percent.

From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026

When we got to the cash register, the checkout lady gave us the skunk eye as she tallied up the total.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Last-day gains didn’t stop the S&P 500 from tallying its worst first quarter since 2022 as the Iran conflict, private-credit worries and the AI ‘scare trade’ weighed on stocks in March.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

“But when it comes to tallying votes in an election, that’s just a drop in the bucket.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

It was after tallying my December spending that I finally deleted them cold turkey in January.

From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2026

Revisiting former stock picks isn’t just about tallying past performance—old calls can reveal fresh investing opportunities.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

So stupid as I sit shivering here in this cellar, tallying up our losses, fingering the tassels on the silver knee-high boots I stole from the woman’s home.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• itemize
• register
• write down