totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling
Examples of total in a Sentence
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
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Nov. 2025
When consumed in one sitting, this results in a higher total carbohydrate intake than your average meal, leading to a larger rise in blood sugar levels.
—Verywell Health, 24 Nov. 2025
Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
The storm could bring snowfall totals anywhere from 8 to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
—Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Leondra Head, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
Queta, who sat out Wednesday’s win over the Pistons, delivered one of the best performances of his career against Minnesota, totaling 19 points, 18 rebounds, eight offensive rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2025
Hot 100 and 45 weeks total on the chart.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for total
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
Some estimates show as many as 2,500 total civilians died in the attack.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Nov. 2025
When consumed in one sitting, this results in a higher total carbohydrate intake than your average meal, leading to a larger rise in blood sugar levels.
—Verywell Health, 24 Nov. 2025
Noun
These locations are projected to pick up the heaviest snowfall rates and totals from the start of the weekend into part of the day on Sunday, which could make for rather challenging and dangerous at times.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
The storm could bring snowfall totals anywhere from 8 to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
—Cailey Gleeson, jsonline.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Verb
Her most recent tax bill totaled $3,517, up from $3,449 the year before.
—Leondra Head, CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
Queta, who sat out Wednesday’s win over the Pistons, delivered one of the best performances of his career against Minnesota, totaling 19 points, 18 rebounds, eight offensive rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Adverb
Collecting three weeks total atop the Billboard 200, Eternal Sunshine got a second life earlier this year with a deluxe edition released a few months after the November premiere of Wicked.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2025
Hot 100 and 45 weeks total on the chart.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for total
Cite this Entry
“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/total. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
total
1 of 3 adjective
to·tal
ˈtōt-ᵊl 
1
: of or relating to the whole of something
a total eclipse of the sun
2
: making up the whole
the total amount
3
: being such to the fullest degree
total ruin
4
: making use of every means to do something
total war
total
2 of 3 noun1
: a product of addition : sum
2
: an entire amount
total
3 of 3 verb
totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling
1
2
: to amount to
donations totaled $120
3
: to make a total wreck of
totaled the car
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