total

[ toht-l ]

/ ˈtoʊt l /

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See synonyms for: total / totaled / totaling / totalled 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).

OTHER WORDS FOR total

1 complete.

5, 6 gross, totality.

See synonyms for total on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of total

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Medieval Latin tōtālis, equivalent to Latin tōt(us) “entire” + -ālis-al¹

synonym study for total

6. See whole.

OTHER WORDS FROM total

quasi-total, 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. 2023

How to use total in a sentence

The Defense Department most recently reported 16,582 total infections among its 750,000 civilian employees since the pandemic began, with 70 deaths — about triple the number of infections and double the number of deaths from late July.
Nearly 3,500 federal workers to get benefits for contracting the coronavirus at work|Eric Yoder|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The Cardinals lead the league in total offense and are legitimate contenders in only the second NFL season for Murray and Kingsbury.
Kyler Murray runs out of miracles as Seahawks hang on to take over first place in NFC West|Mark Maske|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
This ballooned into a record week of signing up 1,200 new paid members, bringing the publication’s total to more than 25,000 members, according to the company.
‘A start-up again’: New Quartz owner Zach Seward’s plan for longevity includes revenue innovation and reader support|Kayleigh Barber|November 20, 2020|Digiday
They've managed it for the most part without the total lockdowns seen in the spring.
Europe's brutal coronavirus surge begins to ease after restrictions|Dave Lawler|November 19, 2020|Axios

Popular Science had a total verified print circulation of about 630,000 at the end of 2019 and then close to 560,000 as of June 30, per the Alliance for Audited Media.
‘Valuations had shifted’: What a private equity acquisition means for legacy media|Kayleigh Barber|November 19, 2020|Digiday
In 2012, Adelson and his wife late in the campaign cut checks totaling $23 million to American Crossroads.
Casino Tycoon Sheldon Adelson Takes $100 Million Gamble on GOP Senate|Peter Stone|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to a department list, the top 40 commercial and industrial accounts have past-due accounts totaling $9.5 million.
Detroit Shuts Off Water to Residents but Not to Businesses Who Owe Millions|Mary M. Chapman|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There followed two meetings, totaling three hours, with MSNBC in-house lawyers and standards and practices staff.
How MSNBC's Steve Kornacki Broke the Latest Christie Scandal|Lloyd Grove|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A lot has happened along the way, such as twenty-four other Grisham bestsellers, totaling a quarter of a billion books sold.
Still Killing Time: John Grisham Talks Broadway and “Sycamore Row”|Thane Rosenbaum|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As a result, the courts awarded judgments against the Hermitage companies totaling some $973 million.
Fraud and the City: Russia’s Manhattan Money Laundering|Michael Daly|September 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Organized and trained 45 ambulance companies, totaling 5580 men, for service with American soldiers and sailors.
Lest We Forget|John Gilbert Thompson
On the road stood two batteries, totaling twelve howitzers and a large number of ammunition wagons.
Behind the Scenes in Warring Germany|Edward Lyell Fox
Five major battles were fought and four separate Union armies, totaling 63,000, were defeated.
The Civil War Centennial Handbook|William H. Price
O'Bannon thought, after midnight when he was totaling the score, "I could make a terrible fool of myself about this girl."
Manslaughter|Alice Duer Miller
I know for an absolute fact that Rochester was paid some exceedingly large fees last week, totaling over fifty thousand dollars.
The Red Seal|Natalie Sumner Lincoln

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 forms of total

totally, 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

total

OTHER WORDS FOR total

Origin of total

synonym study for total

OTHER WORDS FROM total

Words related to total

How to use total in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for total

Derived forms of total

Word Origin for total