total

adjective to·tal \ ˈtō-tᵊl \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

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 he's played in 188 games for Atleti, which is a lot of football for one still relatively young, and has already won a Copa del Rey, a Supercopa de Espana, and a Europa League.

— SI.com, "Arsenal 'Make Contact' With Atletico Madrid With View to Huge Summer Swoop for Midfield Star," 12 Apr. 2018
In total, 28 groupings of more than 1,500 individual works of art will take over the park.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "Best music, food, and other festivals in Philly this spring," 12 Apr. 2018
Those are big numbers but small slices of the more than 67 million U.S. customers these companies cover in total.

— Washington Post, "Insurers look to pass drug price breaks straight to consumer," 11 Apr. 2018
In total, juries have handed out $724.5 million in separate decisions.

— jen christensen, CNN, "Does talcum powder cause cancer? A legal and scientific battle rages," 11 Apr. 2018
In total, 1,334 Haitian migrants have attempted to illegally migrate to the U.S. via the Florida Straits, Caribbean and Atlantic since Oct. 1 compared to 1,869 Haitian migrants in fiscal year 2017, the Coast Guard said.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "U.S. Coast Guard intercepts overloaded boat of Haitians near Cuba | Miami Herald," 11 Apr. 2018
In total, CedarBrew Fest will have 18 to 20 different beers, as well as four or five wines.

— geoff bruce, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Festivals of Cedarburg cracks open third Brew Fest," 10 Apr. 2018
In total, 107 people have been hospitalized, including the three people who have died, since March 7, according to state officials.

— elvia malagon, chicagotribune.com, "Third person dies after more than 100 sickened in tainted synthetic pot outbreak in Illinois, officials say," 9 Apr. 2018
Nine juveniles in total were involved in the fracas, and all will be transferred from the facility, Cleary said.

— colin campbell, baltimoresun.com, "Three staffers assaulted, property damaged at juvenile detention center in Frederick County," 8 Apr. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

total Synonyms

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.