Adjective
a total lack of support
a total eclipse of the sun
He demanded total control of the project.
What was the total amount of the bill?
the total number of words
The country has a total population of about 100 million. Noun
a total of 25 square miles
that's the total for our wheat harvest this year Verb
He carefully totaled the bill.
two and two total four
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
According to Comscore, Smith and Lawrence's newest project secured $56 million at the domestic box office and an additional $48.6 million internationally, bringing the film's total global box office debut to $104.6 million.—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 10 June 2024 Rather, proponents of the theory argue that Article 2 of the Constitution allows the president to have total authority over the executive branch.—Chantelle Lee, TIME, 9 June 2024
Noun
Six vehicles in total were involved in the crash, authorities said.—Jacob Lev, CNN, 10 June 2024 Two years later, the group helped quadruple the Mustangs’ total wins en route to the state title.—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2024
Verb
Together, the wetlands and upland areas in the project total 160 acres at the intersection of three cities — Del Mar, Solana Beach and San Diego.
SANDAG, as San Diego County’s regional planning agency, designed and obtained funding for the project.—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024 Several fishermen drove to him, separated him from the pistol and beat the truck with baseball bats until it was totaled.—C.j. Chivers James Patrick Cronin Elena Hecht Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 6 June 2024
Adverb
Dunning upped his innings pitched total from 117 in 2021 to 153, which was the biggest marker of progress for him on the season.—Dallas News, 26 Sep. 2022 Phiaton rates the buds as offering 11 hours if continuous use, and up to 28 hours total with the charging case.—Andy Meek, BGR, 22 Dec. 2022 See all Example Sentences for total
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'total.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin totalis, from Latin totus whole, entire
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