plural tallies
1
a
: a recorded reckoning or account (as of items or charges)
keep a daily tally of accidents
b
: a score or point made (as in a game)
2
: a device (such as a notched rod or mechanical counter) for visibly recording or accounting especially business transactions
3
a
: a part that corresponds to an opposite or companion member : complement
b
: a state of correspondence or agreement
tallied; tallying
1
a
: to record on or as if on a tally : tabulate
b
: to list or check off (something, such as a cargo) by items
c
: to register (a score) in a contest
2
: to make a count of : reckon
3
: to cause to correspond
1
a
: to make a tally by or as if by tabulating
b
: to register a point in a contest : score
2
: correspond, match
Synonyms
Examples of tally in a Sentence
Noun
What is the final tally?
Her second goal turned out to be the game-winning tally.
Verb
He tallied his expenses every day.
The numbers on the old list and the new list don't tally.
Recent Examples on the Web
CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
If all three tracks holds their ground, Cole’s career tally of U.K. top 40 hits will lift to 14.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Wu did not provide, however, a tally of just how many have been sanctioned.
—Julie Appleby, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
The supernatural comedy sequel will get past an $85 million domestic tally this weekend, along with $40 million internationally — not a figure that would seem to justify a $100 million production budget, plus marketing costs and accounting for exhibitor’s take of ticket sales.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
County election officials must finalize their official tallies by Thursday, with the secretary of state’s office expected to certify election results on April 12.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
With an impressive tally of 7 Wimbledons and 6 US Open titles, even her falls are elegant; at times even dropping into the splits to catch herself.
—Akili King, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
The tally of compensation was obtained by Our Honor, an animal welfare advocacy group, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S.D.A.
—Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
On that tally, Minaj scores the loftiest return of the week.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Hayes Melville and Anthony Llera tallied extra base hits while Grant Moore tallied two hits, one of which was a triple.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2024
One way to do this is to keep a mileage log and tally it up at the end of the year.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Rice, 23, was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft and as a rookie established himself as the team’s most reliable wide receiver, tallying 79 catches for 938 yards and a team-high of seven touchdowns.
—Sara Smart, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The Nez Perc Tribe, which co-manages the area’s salmon fishery with the ODFW, helped the department collect the dead smolts that didn’t make it into the water while also scanning for trackable tags and tallying the loss.
—Kris Millgate, Field & Stream, 5 Apr. 2024
That could be because those sites didn't receive any early ballot drop-offs on election day, or because poll workers forgot to tally them on election night.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
On Wednesday, Disney will tally and announce the results of the shareholder vote that will determine the makeup of its board of directors.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
In the most recent two-week span (March 15-28), his catalog tallied 1,000 spins that garnered 4 million impressions.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
There have been Israeli soldier deaths in the cross-fire though the IDF has not provided an official tally.
—CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
If all three tracks holds their ground, Cole’s career tally of U.K. top 40 hits will lift to 14.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Wu did not provide, however, a tally of just how many have been sanctioned.
—Julie Appleby, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
The supernatural comedy sequel will get past an $85 million domestic tally this weekend, along with $40 million internationally — not a figure that would seem to justify a $100 million production budget, plus marketing costs and accounting for exhibitor’s take of ticket sales.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
County election officials must finalize their official tallies by Thursday, with the secretary of state’s office expected to certify election results on April 12.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
With an impressive tally of 7 Wimbledons and 6 US Open titles, even her falls are elegant; at times even dropping into the splits to catch herself.
—Akili King, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
The tally of compensation was obtained by Our Honor, an animal welfare advocacy group, which filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S.D.A.
—Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
On that tally, Minaj scores the loftiest return of the week.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
The damages tally up to more than $225 million combined.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Hayes Melville and Anthony Llera tallied extra base hits while Grant Moore tallied two hits, one of which was a triple.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2024
One way to do this is to keep a mileage log and tally it up at the end of the year.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Rice, 23, was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft and as a rookie established himself as the team’s most reliable wide receiver, tallying 79 catches for 938 yards and a team-high of seven touchdowns.
—Sara Smart, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The Nez Perc Tribe, which co-manages the area’s salmon fishery with the ODFW, helped the department collect the dead smolts that didn’t make it into the water while also scanning for trackable tags and tallying the loss.
—Kris Millgate, Field & Stream, 5 Apr. 2024
That could be because those sites didn't receive any early ballot drop-offs on election day, or because poll workers forgot to tally them on election night.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
On Wednesday, Disney will tally and announce the results of the shareholder vote that will determine the makeup of its board of directors.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
In the most recent two-week span (March 15-28), his catalog tallied 1,000 spins that garnered 4 million impressions.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tally.' 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
Noun
Middle English talye, from Anglo-French talie, taille, in part from tailler to cut, measure, count; in part from Medieval Latin tallia, alteration of Latin talea plant cutting, thin piece of wood
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of tally was
in the 15th century
Articles Related to tally
Dictionary Entries Near tally
Cite this Entry
“Tally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tally. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
tally
1 of 2 noun
tal·ly
ˈtal-ē 
plural tallies
1
: a device for keeping a count
2
a
: a recorded account
b
: a total recorded
3
: a score or point made (as in a game)
tally
2 of 2 verb
tallied; tallying
More from Merriam-Webster on tally
Nglish: Translation of tally for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tally for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share