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
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Eco effort The on-site organic farm, close relations with local farmers and fisherfolk, and a total ban on single-use plastics can be expected from a resort of this calibre.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
In total, the programme is expected to generate broader industrial benefits, supporting 100 additional roles at Rheinmetall’s Telford site and underpinning another 300 jobs across the wider UK supply chain, the British defense ministry said in a press release.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 May 2026
Evan Clark, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
So, if your monthly essential expenses total $2,000, a good checking account balance would be $4,600.
—Elizabeth Gravier, CNBC, 20 May 2026
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
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Adjective
Some may hope that the decline in total high-school graduates will be offset, in part, by an increase in the percentage of those graduates who pursue a higher degree.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Eco effort The on-site organic farm, close relations with local farmers and fisherfolk, and a total ban on single-use plastics can be expected from a resort of this calibre.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Noun
The tank fails and spills a total of about six to 7,000 gallons of very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
In total, the programme is expected to generate broader industrial benefits, supporting 100 additional roles at Rheinmetall’s Telford site and underpinning another 300 jobs across the wider UK supply chain, the British defense ministry said in a press release.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 May 2026
Verb
Net profits totaled $254 million while the operating margin expanded 280 basis points to 6 percent.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
So, if your monthly essential expenses total $2,000, a good checking account balance would be $4,600.
—Elizabeth Gravier, CNBC, 20 May 2026
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 25 May. 2026.
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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