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
Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Audi posted its total system output at 630 hp (officially, 639 metric horsepower), but specs the gas engine output at 503 hp (510 ps) and electric output at 175 hp (177 ps), which adds up to 678.
—Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 19 Feb. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Feb. 2026
The three-hotel campus includes a total of 18,000 square feet of land on D Street owned by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Feb. 2026
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Feb. 2026
The vehicle was totaled by the falling tree, the sheriff's office says, but the deputy escaped injury.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 18 Feb. 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
In 2019, China alone accounted for 70% of our total business.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Audi posted its total system output at 630 hp (officially, 639 metric horsepower), but specs the gas engine output at 503 hp (510 ps) and electric output at 175 hp (177 ps), which adds up to 678.
—Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
There are five treatment rooms in total, and a traditional hammam is essential for the full Moroccan experience.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Feb. 2026
The three-hotel campus includes a total of 18,000 square feet of land on D Street owned by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
The business counted 290 million premium subscribers totaled in the final three months of 2025, up by 10% year-on-year, while Monthly Active Users (MAUs) gained 11% to 751 million.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Feb. 2026
The vehicle was totaled by the falling tree, the sheriff's office says, but the deputy escaped injury.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 18 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
