total

[ toht-l ]

/ ˈtoʊt l /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR total ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

constituting or comprising the whole; entire; whole: the total expenditure.

of or relating to the whole of something: the total effect of a play.

complete in extent or degree; absolute; unqualified; utter: a total failure.

involving all aspects, elements, participants, resources, etc.; unqualified; all-out: total war.

noun

the total amount; sum; aggregate: a total of $200.

the whole; an entirety: the impressive total of Mozart's achievement.

verb (used with object), to·taled, to·tal·ing or (especially British) to·talled, to·tal·ling.

to bring to a total; add up.

to reach a total of; amount to.

Slang. to wreck or demolish completely: He totaled his new car in the accident.

verb (used without object), to·taled, to·tal·ing or (especially British) to·talled, to·tal·ling.

to amount (often followed by to).

Nearby words

tostada, tostado, tostig, tot, tot., total, total allergy syndrome, total aphasia, total bases, total body hypothermia, total communication

Origin of total

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Medieval Latin tōtālis, equivalent to Latin tōt(us) entire + -ālis -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR total

1 complete.

5, 6 gross, totality.

6 See whole.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR total ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

qua·si-to·tal, adjectivequa·si-to·tal·ly, adverbre·to·tal, verb (used with object), re·to·taled, re·to·tal·ing or (especially British) re·to·talled, re·to·tal·ling, nounsu·per·to·tal, noun

un·to·taled, adjectiveun·to·talled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for total

Total oil production figures include crude oil, natural gas liquids, and other liquid energy products.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He advocates a secular regime with a total separation of religion form the government.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than 750 prisoners have been detained in total over the past 13 years, and about 2,100 people work there.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec 21|PunditFact.com|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In total, officers said 600 emails or tip-offs had been received by more than 40 officers working on Operation Fairbank.
Victim: I Watched British MPs Rape and Murder Young Boys|Nico Hines|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She has 16 total nominations, including one in the TV field for Angels in America.
Jennifer Aniston, Oscar Nominee? 5 Takeaways from the 2015 SAG Award Nominations|Kevin Fallon|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The total output of manganese in the United States in 1901 was less than 12,000 tons.
The History of Cuba, vol. 5|Willis Fletcher Johnson
The total number of remembered dreams varies considerably with different observers, some attaining an average of ten per night.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 7|Various
Nevertheless, there is a total impression derived from it which we cannot feel to be true.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 77, March, 1864|Various
Germany recognizes the total independence of German Austria in the boundaries traced.
Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights|Kelly Miller
The annual balance sheet, however, would show the percentage of profit to the total outlay.
The life and teaching of Karl Marx|M. Beer

British Dictionary definitions for total

total

/ (ˈtəʊtəl) /

noun

the whole, esp regarded as the complete sum of a number of parts

adjective

complete; absolutethe evening was a total failure; a total eclipse

(prenominal) being or related to a totalthe total number of passengers

verb -tals, -talling or -talled or US -tals, -taling or -taled

(when intr, sometimes foll by to) to amountto total six pounds

(tr) to add upto total a list of prices

(tr) slang to kill or badly injure (someone)

(tr) mainly US to damage (a vehicle) beyond repair

Derived Formstotally, adverb

Word Origin for total

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin tōtālis, from Latin tōtus all

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for total (1 of 3)

total

adj.

late 14c., from Old French total, from Medieval Latin totalis "entire, total" (as in summa totalis "sum total"), from Latin totus "all, whole, entire," of unknown origin. Total war is attested from 1937, in reference to a concept developed in Germany.

Word Origin and History for total (1 of 3)

total

1550s, from total (adj.).

Word Origin and History for total (2 of 3)

total

1716, from total (n.). Meaning "to destroy one's car" first recorded 1954. Related: Totaled; totaling.

total

adjective

noun

verb (used with object), to·taled, to·tal·ing or (especially British) to·talled, to·tal·ling.

verb (used without object), to·taled, to·tal·ing or (especially British) to·talled, to·tal·ling.

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Nearby words

Origin of total

Examples from the Web for total

British Dictionary definitions for total

total

noun

adjective

verb -tals, -talling or -talled or US -tals, -taling or -taled

Word Origin for total

Word Origin and History for total (1 of 3)

total

Word Origin and History for total (1 of 3)

total

Word Origin and History for total (2 of 3)

total