total

[toht-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).

Origin of total

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

Related formsqua·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, nounun·to·taled, adjectiveun·to·talled, adjective

Synonyms for total

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR total ON THESAURUS.COM

1. complete. 5, 6. gross, totality. 6. See whole.

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

Related Words for total

entire, outright, full, overall, unlimited, sheer, comprehensive, utter, unrestricted, unconditional, absolute, result, amount, sum, all, budget, reach, equal, yield, add

Examples from the Web for total

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of total

But the first words he uttered showed a total unconsciousness of past events.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
In other words Mr. Gladstone was threatened with total blindness.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
George had often played with his own friends, but never before with total strangers.
Life in London
Edwin Hodder
All around and above the furnace, there was total obscurity.
Sketches from Memory
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The total weight of the monoplane with engine and propeller is 352 pounds.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell

British Dictionary definitions for total

total

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

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.

1550s, from total (adj.).

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