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
Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Additionally, tech, home, kitchen, beauty items, and even a few stocking stuffers (these now-$13 earrings would be a total hit) are up to $900 off.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
In 2019, there were 49 mass killings recorded, the highest annual total since the database began tracking cases in 2006.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025
Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Tariffs, which total around $200 billion this year through October, are essentially a regressive consumption tax.
—Claudia Sahm, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
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
To start the third, Henry got the ball twice, gained 5 total yards and the Ravens went three-and-out.
—Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Additionally, tech, home, kitchen, beauty items, and even a few stocking stuffers (these now-$13 earrings would be a total hit) are up to $900 off.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
Noun
In fiscal year 2025, the Coast Guard reported seizing nearly 510,000 pounds of cocaine, the largest total in the service’s history.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
In 2019, there were 49 mass killings recorded, the highest annual total since the database began tracking cases in 2006.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025
Verb
SpaceX's Starlink constellation, which now totals more than 9,100 operational satellites, provides internet access to areas around the world where other means of connecting are either sparse non existent.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Tariffs, which total around $200 billion this year through October, are essentially a regressive consumption tax.
—Claudia Sahm, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
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 8 Dec. 2025.
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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