total

adjective to·tal \ ˈtō-tᵊl \

Definition of total

1 :comprising or constituting a whole :entire

the total amount

2 :absolute, utter

a total failure

a total stranger

3 :involving a complete and unified effort especially to achieve a desired effect

total war

total theater

See total defined for English-language learners

See total defined for kids

Examples of total in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of total from the Web

In total, 36 of the 66 current envoys or special representatives will be eliminated or folded back into other bureaus within the State Department.

— chicagotribune.com, "Tillerson's reorganization proposal eliminates climate, Muslim, Syria envoys," 30 Aug. 2017
In total, Harris County residents were paying premiums on nearly 250,000 flood insurance policies in June, down from almost 275,000 policies at the end of 2012.

— Washington Post, "AP Exclusive: Flood insurance policies plunged before Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
Watching early television Monday in Chicago, the disjoint was manifested in local television outlets whose total local audience far outpaces the three major news channels (just one show, the WGN Morning News, beats them all easily).

— The Hive, "How Silicon Valley Has Changed Hurricane Coverage," 28 Aug. 2017
From 2000-09, his offenses led the nation in passing six times and total yards three times.

— cliff brunt, The Seattle Times, "Leach’s young ex-Texas Tech QBs thriving as Big 12 coaches," 26 Aug. 2017
In total, 11 of the people arrested are Mexican citizens and one is a Guatemalan national.

— david hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Border Patrol arrests 12 people after boats reach shore in San Diego," 24 Aug. 2017
Officials from the main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, and the smaller opposition party, Casa-CE, have questioned the neutrality of the electoral commission.

— henrique almeida, Bloomberg.com, "Polls Close in Angolan Election That Ends Dos Santos's Rule," 23 Aug. 2017
In making preparations for Monday’s total solar eclipse, tourism managers in St. Joseph, Missouri, didn’t know what to expect beyond the cosmic obvious.

— joe pinsker, The Atlantic, "So, Eclipse Boomtowns, How’d It Go?," 23 Aug. 2017
Having that kind of platform like the Voice was a total boon to developing a career and having strong opinions and writing consistent work.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "Generations of Village Voice Writers Reflect on the Paper Leaving the Honor Boxes," 23 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'total.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of total

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin totalis, from Latin totus whole, entire

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

total Synonyms

Synonyms

all-out, arrant, blank, blooming [chiefly British], bodacious [Southern & Midland], categorical (also categoric), clean, complete, consummate, cotton-picking, crashing, damn, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, sheer, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, absolute, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very

Antonyms

imperfect, incomplete, partial

Related Words

authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable; constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting; extreme, unrestricted; confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate; extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific

Near Antonyms

doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

Synonym Discussion of total

whole, entire, total, all mean including everything or everyone without exception. whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

- read the whole book

entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

- the entire population was wiped out

total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

- the total number of people present

all may equal whole, entire, or total.

- all proceeds go to charity

total

noun

Definition of total

1 :a product of addition :sum

2 :an entire quantity :amount

See total defined for English-language learners

Examples of total in a Sentence

a total of 25 square miles
that's the total for our wheat harvest this year

Recent Examples of total from the Web

If the rent exceeds that total, a voucher-holder generally has to find a different place to live.

— alana semuels, The Atlantic, "Trump Administration Puts on Hold an Obama-Era Desegregation Effort," 30 Aug. 2017
Totals have yet to come in from other youth groups selling tickets in advance, another way the Kiwanians help local organizations since the sellers get to keep half of the ticket prices.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Kiwanians to hold 49th annual pancake breakfast on Saturday," 30 Aug. 2017
The total has nearly doubled over the last seven years.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky's bald eagle population reaches new heights," 29 Aug. 2017
Would five years for a total of $70 million be enough?

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Mariners mailbag: A look at postseason chances, starting rotation issues and an extension for James Paxton," 24 Aug. 2017
Now, the 50,000-acre estate features 150 buildings in total.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Inside the Royals' Favorite Scottish Getaway, Balmoral Castle," 24 Aug. 2017
Though the above video shows one girl’s experience, there were reportedly eight girls total who were forced to do splits that day at the school’s cheer camp in June, all of whom reportedly cried out in pain.

— tess koman, Cosmopolitan, "Horrifying Video Appears to Show 13-Year-Old Cheerleader Being Painfully Forced Into Doing Splits," 24 Aug. 2017
The Bridge Collaborative for Suicide Prevention, a grassroots group formed in Coronado in late 2014, puts the total at about 400.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Community pushes for suicide barriers on Coronado Bridge," 11 Aug. 2017
The Florida Department of Health has reported a total of 135 Zika cases as of Friday.

— daniel chang, miamiherald, "What happened to Zika? Florida has no local cases this year - so far," 11 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of total

1557

total Synonyms

Synonyms

aggregate, full, sum, summation, sum total, whole, totality

Related Words

gross; completeness, comprehensiveness, cumulativeness, entirety; bulk, lion's share, mass; enchilada, schmear

Near Antonyms

net

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

total

verb

Definition of total

totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling

transitive verb

1 :to add up :compute

2 :to amount to :number

3 :to make a total wreck of :demolish; specifically :to damage so badly that the cost of repairs exceeds the market value of the vehicle

totaled the car

See total defined for English-language learners

Examples of total in a Sentence

He carefully totaled the bill.
two and two total four

Recent Examples of total from the Web

The storm and its aftermath don’t just mean extra summer days, of course—many children will return to schools that have suffered significant structural damage, such as broken windows, flooded gymnasiums, and totaled classroom supplies.

— hayley glatter, The Atlantic, "How Schoolchildren Will Cope With Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
Breaking it down, Texas has totaled 19 trillion gallons, and Louisiana has already seen 5.5 trillion gallons.

— angela fritz, Washington Post, "Harvey has unloaded 24.5 trillion gallons of water on Texas and Louisiana," 30 Aug. 2017
She was arrested Friday, and remained in the Shelby County Jail Monday on bonds totaling $17,000.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Meth found on student's lunch money leads to arrest of Shelby County mom," 28 Aug. 2017
GENEVA INVITATIONAL, at Mill Creek Golf Club, Geneva Top 5 teams (20 teams total): St. Francis 297, Marmion 306, Waubonsie Valley 307, Geneva Blue 309, Kaneland 309.

— Naperville Sun, "West Suburban Local Scoreboard for Sunday, Aug. 27," 26 Aug. 2017
Official estimates for the Pebble Beach auctions this week have set sales totals at $290 million, down 14 percent since 2016.

— Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg’s Week in Pictures," 25 Aug. 2017
Senior running back Jason Cundiff added 51 yards and three touchdowns for the Highlanders (1-1), who totaled more than 450 yards of offense.

— kyle williams, The Courier-Journal, "Weimer stars as Floyd Central routs Providence 62-19," 25 Aug. 2017
In his first season under the Sporting KC brand, Busio featured for the academy’s Under-18, U-16 and U-14 teams and totaled nine goals.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "Just 15, Gianluca Busio was ‘relentless in pursuing’ career with Sporting KC," 25 Aug. 2017
Norwood quarterback Matt Goodman threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns and running back Brennan Wallace totaled 118 yards from scrimmage1.

— the enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Week 1 Ohio high school football scores," 25 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of total

1716

total Synonyms

Synonyms

add up (to), aggregate, come (to), count (up to), number, sum (to or into), amount (to)

Antonyms

build, construct, erect, put up, raise, rear, set up

Related Words

average, equal, measure, reach; compose, comprise, constitute, make up

Near Antonyms

doctor, fix, mend, patch, recondition, repair, revamp; create, invent; assemble, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, frame, make, manufacture, mold, produce, shape; bring about, constitute, establish, father, found, institute, organize; conserve, preserve, protect, save; rebuild, reconstruct, remodel, renovate, restore

total

adverb

Definition of total

:totally

Recent Examples of total from the Web

Place them on the grill pan and cook for 8 to 12 minutes total, turning them and basting with the reserved marinade-oil mixture every few minutes.

— bonnie s. benwick, sacbee, "The lost art of cutting up a chicken," 29 Aug. 2017
Bo Braunecker, Charlestown (Ind.): 1 INT returned for 11 yards TOTAL FORCED TURNOVERS: 1.

— The Courier-Journal, "High school football leaderboard | Louisville area's top performers for Aug. 25," 26 Aug. 2017
WOODSTOCK INVITATIONAL Winner and local teams (14 teams total): 1.

— Naperville Sun, "West Suburban Local Scoreboard for Sunday, Aug. 20," 19 Aug. 2017
Place them on the grill pan and cook for 8 to 12 minutes total, turning them and basting with the reserved marinade-oil mixture every few minutes.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "How to cut up a whole chicken: Reclaiming this lost art," 18 Aug. 2017
The Rockets have won just three games total over the past three seasons.

— kyle neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "High school football preview: Class 3A at a glance," 15 Aug. 2017
Heck, the Beatles have a slew of them and mention the sun in 17 songs total, according beatlesbible.com.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Rangers reaction: On the bright side, second half off to good start," 17 July 2017
Twelve additional cities are competing to fill another four spots. MLS commissioner Don Garber announced earlier this year the league will expand to 28 teams total.

— alicia delgallo, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Toronto FC's rise is among five Major League Soccer storylines to watch," 7 June 2017
Add the scallops and cook for 5 to 6 minutes total, until grill marks have formed and the scallops are no longer translucent, turning them over once.

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "Greek-taverna-inspired Grilled Scallops With Lemon-Herb Drizzle," 31 May 2017

First Known Use of total

1601

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

TOTAL Defined for English Language Learners

total

adjective

Definition of total for English Language Learners

: complete or absolute
: after everything or everyone is counted

total

noun

Definition of total for English Language Learners

: the number or amount of everything counted

total

verb

Definition of total for English Language Learners

: to produce (a total) when added together
: to add numbers together to find out the total
: to damage (something, such as a car) so badly that it is not worth repairing

TOTAL Defined for Kids

total

adjective to·tal \ ˈtō-tᵊl \

Definition of total for Students

1 :being such to the fullest degree

total ruin

2 :making up the whole

I collected the total amount.

3 :of or relating to the whole of something

a total eclipse of the sun

4 :making use of every means to do something

total war

—

totally

adverb

total

noun

Definition of total for Students

:the entire number or amount counted :sum

total

verb

Definition of total for Students

totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling

1 :to add up

Did you total the scores?

2 :to amount to :number

Donations totaled five hundred dollars.

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total

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