total

1 of 4

adjective

to·​tal ˈtō-tᵊl 

1

: comprising or constituting a whole : entire

the total amount

2

: absolute, utter

a total failure

a total stranger

3

: involving a complete and unified effort especially to achieve a desired effect

total war

total theater

total

2 of 4

noun

1

: a product of addition : sum

2

: an entire quantity : amount

total

3 of 4

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

total

4 of 4

adverb

: totally

Synonyms of total

Adjective

• absolute
• complete
• sheer
• utter
• unconditional
• pure
• simple
• definite
• outright

Noun

• sum
• totality
• full
• whole
• aggregate

Verb

• number
• average
• aggregate

Choose the Right Synonym for total

whole, entire, total, all mean including everything or everyone without exception.

whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

all may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

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

Adjective

In 2025, Texas led the nation in total debt collection complaints, according to data from the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau — a federal agency tasked with enforcing consumer protection laws. —William Tong, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026

Despite the official estimate, some analysts believe the total cost of the Golden Dome program could rise significantly over time. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 Mar. 2026

Noun

Also on Tuesday, the board approved three separate resolutions to accept a total of $69,500 in grant funding from the United States Tennis Association for resurfacing of the courts at the city's tennis center. —Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026

Because Naperville is in both DuPage and Will counties, vote totals from both will need to be counted before unofficial results are complete. —Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Verb

Johnson contributed solid minutes as the fill-in back-up center, totaling 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 shooting on threes, five rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block in 20 minutes off the bench. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2026

Export violations totaling $34,824 in penalties were issued and CBP seized the tractor and trailer. —S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 18 Mar. 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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin totalis, from Latin totus whole, entire

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1716, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1601, in the meaning defined above

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