totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling
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
CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Their faltering attempt at a total crackdown—which can’t muzzle the anger and bravery of ordinary people—and its general odor of malicious incompetence, is even seeping into the White House’s hermetic media echo chamber.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Additionally, 7,000 square feet will be built for office and administrative space, according to Pilatus, for a total of 71,000 square feet in phase one.
—Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Greater Cincinnati snow totals How much snow fell in your area?
—Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2026
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2025
Hot 100 and 45 weeks total on the chart.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for total
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Adjective
For the full year 2026, the team expects total expenses to be between $162 billion and $169 billion, significantly above the $150 billion analyst estimate.
—CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Their faltering attempt at a total crackdown—which can’t muzzle the anger and bravery of ordinary people—and its general odor of malicious incompetence, is even seeping into the White House’s hermetic media echo chamber.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
In the fiscal year ending June 2022, the county spent about $49 million on outside lawyers, with the total spent rising every year since.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Additionally, 7,000 square feet will be built for office and administrative space, according to Pilatus, for a total of 71,000 square feet in phase one.
—Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
The apartments, approved in March by city officials, would total 311 units in four buildings with four to five stories, according to conceptual plans.
—Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Greater Cincinnati snow totals How much snow fell in your area?
—Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Feb. 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
See All Example Sentences for total
Cite this Entry
“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/total. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: a product of addition : sum
2
: an entire amount
total
3 of 3 verb
totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling
1
2
: to amount to
donations totaled $120
3
: to make a total wreck of
totaled the car
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