1
as in absolute
having no exceptions or restrictions
had total power over the people of that country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in entire
not lacking any part or member that properly belongs to it
gave us a total rundown of the events
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in thorough
trying all possibilities
this was total war as far as the military was concerned, and no weapons system was off-limits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sum
a complete amount of something
that's the total for our wheat harvest this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to number
to have a total of
two and two total four
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to add
to combine (numbers) into a single sum
total all the receipts and tell me how much I owe you
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a powerful hurricane totaled the house some years ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of total
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Graham has 28 total tackles and six interceptions so far this season.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
Fifteen people were affected by the incident in total.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
More than half of the LGBTQ characters total across all platforms are people of color at 248 out of 489 characters, 16 more than the previous study and an increase of one percentage point.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for total
Adjective
For perspective on how popular the Heat’s Vice campaign has become, nearly half of the 570,000 total jerseys that the Heat has sold since Vice made its debut in 2018 have been part of the Vice line.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Graham has 28 total tackles and six interceptions so far this season.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
Edmunds completed 23 of 37 passes for 190 yards, his second-lowest yardage total this season, and one touchdown.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 8 Nov. 2025
Fifteen people were affected by the incident in total.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
All told, Black men arrested in the roundup and in smaller-scale police actions around it totaled about 400.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
More than half of the LGBTQ characters total across all platforms are people of color at 248 out of 489 characters, 16 more than the previous study and an increase of one percentage point.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for total
Recent Examples of Synonyms for total
Adjective
-
And many of us, sadly, have been in a state of absolute despair while grieving someone, which is its own type of temporary insanity.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Bad news for Harbour—each track is an absolute earworm.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
As a childless person who doesn’t teach I’ve been happily unaware that, due to standardized testing requirements that favor close reads of excerpts over whole books, there’s an entire generation of students who have very little contextual framework for the literature they’re being taught in school.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Morning Post citing data from Wind, already greater than the entire total in 2024.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Before any surgery, patients undergo thorough medical and psychological evaluations to ensure readiness, both physically and emotionally.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police are conducting a thorough investigation with the assistance of multiple law enforcement partners.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Defense attorney Marc Carlos argued Friday that prosecutors failed to turn up evidence that Bonillo was being paid large sums of money by the cartel.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Jungle Island’s days may be numbered.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Last month, rapidly-growing 7 Brew Coffee opened its 500th location, adding a stand in New Jersey.—
John Magsam,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio each scored 10, and Davion Mitchell added five rebounds, five assists and three steals.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That’s why his mistress threw in with Frank to intimidate Dale into a land deal that would have ruined any chance of Chutto’s family ever getting their land back.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Because when those premiums go up by 100, 200%, people’s lives are ruined.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Foden has improved the defensive side of his game to the point that Guardiola trusts him to play a more complete role in the centre of the pitch, but going with such a fluid line-up does risk exposing City on the counter.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
And no list of holiday musts is complete without Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, one of the earliest creations of the beloved production company.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/total. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share