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.
Last week he bought four items from the new collection, including a tote for his daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
British comic artist Gemma Correll, whose work has appeared everywhere from The New Yorker to tote bags bearing the legend “Pugs Not Drugs,” had a very rough 2018.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 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
Mom packed me a chickpea salad sandwich on sprouted bread, which is wrapped in paper at the bottom of my tote bag.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Bean Boat and Tote, gives it enough distance from overtly corporate American brands that international carriers can embrace it without feeling complicit, Davies said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
Celebrate all things fashion as well as New York designer Marc Jacobs’ 40th anniversary with this cute Tote Bag Necklace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
Bean Boat and Tote In a post-plastic landscape, a solid tote bag is practically a necessity.
From The Verge ● Jul. 22, 2022
And last year’s release of the performance of “Die Tote Stadt” by the Bavarian State Opera gives those not ready to return to the opera house another at-home viewing option.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2022
Tote a little corn bread for ’em too.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
Dancing to drums in downtown Yangon, the crowd of nationalist activists and saffron-robed monks twirled miniature national flags and toted banners denying accusations of ethnic cleansing being levelled at The Hague.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
During a family trip to Lake Tahoe, he toted two bags of notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
He toted Walter around the whole day, and at the end of their visit, I told him he could take Walter home if he wanted to.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2025
Queen Elizabeth II, who was in residence, was said to have looked at the guns being toted by these unexpected arrivals.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2025
They toted baskets full of tiny lanterns, slips of parchment paper, and brass styluses.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Visitors were greeted by security forces in flak jackets, some in military camouflage and others toting submachine guns, scattered amid a landscape of green pastures, wooden chalets and snowy peaks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
So if you’re toting around two kids and want a fun-filled day that costs less than $200, but you hate walking around museums, then say exactly that.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
When she comes on to play, toting her digital keyboard, it’s always as herself, or mostly herself, with her name spelled out across the screen: Jane Wickline.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
They get all kinds, from well-to-do couples toting their toy pooches in the same designer bag as their medications, to criminally neglected unhoused people.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
Carolyn lunged through the front door, toting a large pan.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
