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

During the height of that conflict, which had 42 days of active combat, the US sent six aircraft carriers to the region from a total fleet of 15. — Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

For students from outside of Arizona, tuition is more than $35,000 and the total cost of attendance is around $60,000 before scholarships. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Noun

Liverpool will play a total of 180 minutes against Serie A side Como across two games tomorrow (Sunday), one behind closed doors at their training ground at noon locally, the other at Anfield at 6pm. — George Edwards, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026

And there’s the fact that, in 2024 alone, the net worth of the nineteen wealthiest families in America expanded by about $1 trillion total, hashing out to approximately $53 billion per family. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Verb

In all, the system’s budget request to the state totals $730 million, with additional items such as funding for medical research and an expansion of AI capabilities included. — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The task force, representing municipalities, chambers of commerce, labor and the county’s diverse geographical areas, reviewed two dozen requests for money that totaled about $3 billion. — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 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