How to Use total in a Sentence

total

1 of 4 adjective
  • What was the total amount of the bill?
  • He demanded total control of the project.
  • The country has a total population of about 100 million.
  • Not since the late 1970s has the total grown that much in one year.
    Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
  • That project brings the total distance of bike lanes in the city to 13.62 miles.
    Bran Strickland | , al, 10 July 2023
  • There are nine total ways to win a prize, from the jackpot to $2.
    Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 10 July 2023
  • In total, three of Emerson’s songs were used for the soundtrack.
    Jeff Gage, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Nor is the total number of captives who passed through the system known.
    James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Which makes this $42 longline puffer from Old Navy a total steal.
    Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
  • Last week the song garnered about 19 million U.S. streams total.
    Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024
  • The win gave Richardson two gold medals at this year’s world championships and three total medals.
    Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2023
  • Montana has become the first state in the nation to enact a total ban on TikTok.
    Tanay Howard, Parents, 10 July 2023
  • The over/under total goals is 2-5 (two overs) in those seven contests.
    Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Harvey did not know what items were stolen from the Macy’s or their total value.
    Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
  • In total, those shares could be worth an eye-popping $1.74 billion.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2023
  • The building is believed to be a total loss, Alaska State Troopers said.
    Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 7 July 2023
  • The difference in the total aid provided using the price of the new replacements and the cost of the weapons given to Ukraine is $6.2 billion.
    Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Schwarber hit 55 total home runs but lost by one in the final round to the Nationals’ Bryce Harper.
    Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2023
  • Iowa offers less than 2% of the total delegates on the table for White House hopefuls.
    TIME, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Simply mark the checkbox, and during checkout, the dollar or percent amount will be taken off the total price of the item.
    Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Mills didn’t score a basket until the 1:04 mark of the first quarter and went into the second quarter with just four points total.
    Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024
  • In court papers accusing Boeing of trying to slough off its share of the cleanup bill, the port said the total cost could top $1 billion.
    Lulu Ramadan, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2023
  • In total, the legal team analyzed more than 6,300 videos.
    Dhruv Mehrotra, WIRED, 20 July 2023
  • The total sum of claims is $27 million, and Delta will also pay 7% interest in cash or credits on top of the refund.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 6 Oct. 2023
  • When the adults got home, they were greeted with total silence, which instantly set off alarm bells for Adam.
    Kelly Martinez, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2023
  • The total score for each city is calculated by summing the weighted scores for each of these metric.
    The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2024
  • More trending stories: → There’s no ‘better place’ to see April 8 total solar eclipse than in this tiny Texas town.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
  • At the same time, an intrinsic quality of fine art is that people don’t want to sell, which means the total market is not very big.
    Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
  • The total investment in the new headquarters is $9.2 million.
    Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 10 Apr. 2024
  • What to do with your solar eclipse glasses For the millions of people who viewed the total solar eclipse, here’s what to do with your eclipse glasses instead of throwing them away.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
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total

2 of 4 noun
  • This year, 36 of the Grizzlies’ 82 games have gone over the point total.
    Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2023
  • This may lead to storm totals more than 3 inches in parts of the South.
    Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2024
  • Do this for a total of eight reps, and repeat on the other side.
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Hamas has released four hostages in total since the war began.
    NBC News, 14 Nov. 2023
  • The team will play a total of 21 home games, with each game lasting 7 innings.
    Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
  • Khadka was deployed to Bakhmut twice and spent a total of one month there.
    Sugam Pokharel, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
  • In total, there’s a mile of private shoreline and 2,000 feet of sandy beach on the ocean and more beach on Lake Tashmoo.
    Emma Reynolds, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
  • The second phase of the development could bring the project to a total of $800 million to $1 billion.
    Wire Services, Dallas News, 17 May 2023
  • That’s the most in the Mountain West, New Mexico is second with 10, and the sixth-highest total in the nation.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2023
  • So far, the company has spent about $55 million of that total.
    Kelly Yamanouchi, ajc, 26 Apr. 2023
  • See the totals How many people moved to Arizona from other places?
    Sahana Jayaraman, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The defendants in this case have won nine of those [19] events, and 11 top finishes in total.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 11 May 2023
  • But that helped boost the month’s total to 2.84 inches, more than twice the average at this time in July.
    Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
  • In addition to the four wins the series accrued at the Creative Arts Emmys, that puts the show’s total at 10 awards.
    Breanna Bell, Variety, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Play is ruled by a clock, with each player getting a total of 25 minutes a game, so there’s not a lot of idle chitchat.
    Joe Heim, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024
  • The new addition means the park will have seven roller coasters in total.
    Ruth Serven Smith | Rserven@al.com, al, 24 Apr. 2023
  • The Chiefs and unnamed private donors also chipped in a total of $1.3 million.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Bose claims a six-hour listening time with the earbuds alone, increasing to a total of 24 hours with the case.
    Geoffrey Morrison, wsj.com, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Eschenbach, a sixth-year senior, played in a total of 18 games over the last three seasons.
    Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2023
  • The Huskies threatened to finish with more offensive rebounds than the Aztecs had in total.
    Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
  • Epstein paid a settlement — $5.5 million in total — to three of more than two dozen teens who sued him.
    Mark Williams, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Since the start of the agreement, a total of 41 hostages have been released and 78 Palestinian prisoners.
    CBS News, 26 Nov. 2023
  • The total included some matching funds to build the shelter at 1115 Parkway Ave.
    Eula Calahan, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2023
  • The seeding for the eight-man derby was determined by home run totals through Tuesday.
    Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2023
  • Customers will have the option to round up their total on Tuesdays, and Taco Bell will match the donations up to $1 million.
    Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Frederick was a member of the Louisville Fire Department for about four decades in total.
    Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
  • The defendants were ordered by the court to pay damages of over 200 million euros in total.
    Phoebe Natanson, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2023
  • Out of a total of 68 voters, five workers voted against.
    Michaela Zee, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023
  • The loan that’s in default was provided by Copia Lending and totals $29 million, the county documents show.
    George Avalos, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
  • Jovic, who is also playing as the Heat’s starting power forward, logged a total of eight minutes at center in the two games leading up to Wednesday’s matchup against the Mavericks.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
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total

3 of 4 verb
  • He carefully totaled the bill.
  • Of course, the best way to take in the sights is from either of the two terraces, which total 240 square feet.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2023
  • The current student loan debt amount totals $1.77 trillion in the U.S.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Ben Moseley went 3-for-3 to lead a Fairhope offense that totaled 11 hits.
    Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Looney and Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges are the only players in the league on the brink of totaling 82-plus games in each of the past two seasons.
    Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Apr. 2023
  • Curry totaled a team-high (and personal-best) 19 points off the bench.
    Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 4 Jan. 2024
  • The hydrogen spending should be enough to bring the station total up to 200, the commission says.
    Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Witt belted his first home run this season as the Royals totaled five homers in a 11-0 rout of the Minnesota Twins.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
  • Milwaukee had six bench players total 34 points in the game.
    James Weber, The Enquirer, 29 Jan. 2023
  • Herro totaled 14 fourth-quarter points to lead a Heat rally that fell just short against the Pacers.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
  • Leading the charge was Tautua who totaled five touchdowns on the night, four passing and a 3-yard rushing score late in the fourth quarter.
    Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Her list totaled more than 6,000 entries, and there would be a lot more if it was still being updated.
    Hafiz Rashid, The New Republic, 18 Oct. 2023
  • During the fair, the utility bill alone totals half a million dollars.
    Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
  • The five videos total about seven minutes of footage, and the crew was shooting for two weeks before production was shut down.
    Chloe Melas, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023
  • The prospect of being hit with damage awards totaling more than $450 million in less than a week points to the potential for a cash problem.
    Erik Larson, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2024
  • The request, which the White House is expected to unveil Friday, totals more than $100 billion.
    Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
  • Spending a full summer in one of the region’s more elaborate programs can total more than $4,000 per child.
    Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
  • But the estate now has assets totaling less than $6 million, according to a report by the BBC.
    CBS News, 12 July 2023
  • The Bearcats totaled 256 yards against Brossart, split almost evenly between passing and rushing yards.
    James Weber, The Enquirer, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Fitting the battery pack in the nose surely redistributed the car’s weight, which totaled 800 pounds more than a standard Corvair.
    Kevin A. Wilson, Car and Driver, 31 Mar. 2023
  • But that reflects only a small fraction of U.S. military spending, which was set to total close to $800 billion for this year alone.
    Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The city of Huntsville issued three permits totaling more than $18.6 million for an apartment complex on Old Nursery Road in the northeastern part of the city.
    Scott Turner | Sturner@al.com, al, 11 July 2023
  • In that year alone, the costs of damages to homes, roads, and other infrastructure from extreme weather totaled over $90 billion.
    Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Profit totaled $162 million, or 9 cents a share, roughly flat from a year earlier.
    Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 16 Dec. 2023
  • Last year, the average refund totaled $2,753, IRS data showed.
    Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
  • But when the sale opened mid-March, customers were disappointed to find that the Ticketmaster had tacked on sky-high fees to tickets that totaled more than the price of the actual tickets themselves.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2023
  • The bill provides a scholarship for the surviving children of the victims, which would total at least $3,000 and as much as full in-state tuition for each eligible student.
    Teo Armus, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
  • When blizzard conditions hit, snowfall could total between 2 and 6 feet, the agency said, while wind gusts are expected to become even stronger.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2023
  • This example of the definitive Ferrari has had just two owners and totaled less than 2,000 miles since leaving the factory.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024
  • The budget office now predicts that federal interest costs will total $10.4 trillion over the next decade, up from $8 trillion.
    Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
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total

4 of 4 adverb
  • There will be 20 from Texas alone (and 37 Texas artists total).
    Kathy Harris, star-telegram, 16 Apr. 2018
  • The Rockets have won just three games total over the past three seasons.
    Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, 15 Aug. 2017
  • The runners get credit for any yardage total over eight.
    Khobi Price, sun-sentinel.com, 24 Sep. 2019
  • There were 13 trucks total, lined up on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the freeway, with the man standing above them.
    Brandon Patterson, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2018
  • Now a junior, Bond is well on his way from breaking last year's home run total.
    Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2022
  • Heck, the Beatles have a slew of them and mention the sun in 17 songs total, according beatlesbible.com.
    Stefan Stevenson, star-telegram, 17 July 2017
  • BarVista and The Wescott will employ about 60 workers total between them.
    Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 7 Feb. 2020
  • And Republicans are just a sliver of that, holding 21 seats total – eight in the Senate, and 13 in the House.
    Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2019
  • Over the course of the last five seasons, the A’s and Giants have played games at home on the same day an average of nine times per season or 45 times total.
    John Hickey, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2017
  • And the most games OSU could play total, even picking up a cross-divisional game on Dec. 19, would be six.
    Eric Hansen, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Apr. 2021
  • Day 1 Results Top team and local team (14 teams total): 1.
    Daily Southtown, 28 Apr. 2018
  • Sear the pork on all sides, about 2 minutes per side or 12 minutes total, until a golden brown crust forms.
    Jessica Yadegaran, The Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2019
  • Since the Mercy arrived, the crew have treated 31 patients total and released 18 of them, as of noon on Wednesday.
    John Ismay, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2020
  • The brand dropped three nail polish duos known as Power Couples, for six brand-new shades total.
    Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 18 June 2019
  • The track saw 30 equine deaths total during the meet, with no trainer hit worse than Hollendorfer.
    Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2019
  • Add the scallops and cook for 5 to 6 minutes total, until grill marks have formed and the scallops are no longer translucent, turning them over once.
    The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 31 May 2017
  • Democrats need to net four seats total to retake the majority.
    Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2020
  • The 28 points scored total in the second quarter comes out to a 2.8-point-per-second-quarter average.
    Steve Svekis, sun-sentinel.com, 12 Nov. 2021
  • There will be 179 units total, along with a clubhouse, leasing house, fitness center and pool area with a cabana and grill.
    William Thornton, AL.com, 2 Apr. 2018
  • With his two home runs Tuesday, his season total reached 16 after 49 games.
    Bob Brookover, https://www.inquirer.com, 5 June 2019
  • Abbott had a double-digit strikeout total in six of his 17 starts.
    Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 24 July 2021
  • The Utah Board of Education has 15 seats total, but only about half are up for election every two years to stagger the terms.
    The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Nov. 2020
  • If teams averaged half that number (0.396 HR/G), a player would get credit for twice his home run total.
    Nick Lozito, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 July 2021
  • Their lineup suffered one of its quietest nights all year, matching its season-low run total on just four hits.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2022
  • Place them on the grill pan and cook for 8 to 12 minutes total, turning them and basting with the reserved marinade-oil mixture every few minutes.
    Bonnie S. Benwick, sacbee, 29 Aug. 2017
  • Already in five games with Seattle, Smith is nearly halfway to his career sacks total.
    USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2017
  • Here are eight tips that will bring that receipt total down considerably.
    Katie Workman, Twin Cities, 24 July 2019
  • Considering Stadia is due to launch next week with 12 games total...
    Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, 14 Nov. 2019
  • Pence on Wednesday said Uline's annual sales total more than $2 billion, and that both revenue and profits are up.
    Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Oct. 2019
  • The school’s population hovers around a dozen students total, according to the Cape Cod Times.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 June 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'total.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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