total

verb

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

Synonyms of total

• number
• average
• aggregate

Examples of total in a Sentence

He carefully totaled the bill.

two and two total four

Recent Examples on the Web

But a handful of state and city programs are designed to bridge that gap — offering down payment assistance that can total tens of thousands of dollars for buyers who qualify. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026

Cruises, casino cash withdrawal and overseas trips The affidavit said Storey used the church credit card account to pay for one or more cruises totaling $77,025. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026

In future canvases, the Registrar will examine Conditional Voter Registration (CVR) and provisional ballots, which total about 5,000. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 10 June 2026

Scott is the eighth-highest-grossing director of all time, with his films totaling $5 billion worldwide. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing total

• come as a (complete/total) surprise
• grand total
• sum total
• the sum total
• total depravity
• total eclipse
• total recall

Rhymes for total

• motile
• anecdotal
• hypocotyl
• sacerdotal
• subtotal

Kids 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 noun

1

: a product of addition : sum

2

: an entire amount

total

3 of 3 verb

totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling

1

: add sense 3

2

: to amount to

donations totaled $120

3

: to make a total wreck of

totaled the car