to carry, as on one's back or in one's arms.
to tote a bundle.
to carry on one's person.
to tote a gun.
to transport or convey, as on a vehicle or boat.
the act or course of toting.
something that is toted.
the act of or an instance of toting
something toted
An Americanism dating back to 1670–80; origin uncertain
First recorded in 1885–90; probably verb use of tote, shortening of total
First recorded in 1890–95; by shortening
A tote is a bag or basket used to carry things. Toting also refers to lugging things around. If you ever go to a conference, there's a good chance you might be given a tote, which is also known as a tote bag. Totes help people carry around conference materials, and they can be used to carry all sorts of things, including clothes for a trip or groceries at the store. Also, carrying things around is called toting. Usually, toting refers to carrying things around with difficulty. A giant box is hard to tote around.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’ve seen it on many products, in many different presentations — pink-glitter bubble letters on a sticker, loopy black cursive on a tote bag, industrial embroidery on a hat.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026
As the company spread across the U.S., it maintained rules for decades: Kids were allowed only with a chaperone age 25 or older, and adults could tote along just three total kids.
From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026
Zaghari-Ratcliffe also did crafts with her daughter, including origami and making tote bags, during her weekly visits before she had to return to the UK for school in 2019.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
The tote bags were brought in very early on by Brooke Kennedy, who was the producing director and one of the main directors on “The Good Wife.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
He was carrying a large canvas tote bag.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
