Advertisement
Advertisement
total
[ toht-l ]
adjective
- constituting or comprising the whole; entire; whole:
the total expenditure.
Synonyms: complete
- of or relating to the whole of something:
the total effect of a play.
- complete in extent or degree; absolute; unqualified; utter:
a total failure.
- involving all aspects, elements, participants, resources, etc.; unqualified; all-out:
total war.
noun
verb (used with object)
- to bring to a total; add up.
- to reach a total of; amount to.
- Slang. to wreck or demolish completely:
He totaled his new car in the accident.
verb (used without object)
- to amount (often followed by to ).
total
/ ˈtəʊtəl /
noun
- the whole, esp regarded as the complete sum of a number of parts
adjective
- complete; absolute
a total eclipse
the evening was a total failure
- prenominal being or related to a total
the total number of passengers
verb
- whenintr, sometimes foll by to to amount
to total six pounds
- tr to add up
to total a list of prices
- slang.tr to kill or badly injure (someone)
- tr to damage (a vehicle) beyond repair
Discover More
Derived Forms
- ˈtotally, adverb
Discover More
Other Words From
- quasi-total adjective
- quasi-total·ly adverb
- re·total verb (used with object) retotaled retotaling or (especially British) retotalled retotalling noun
- super·total noun
- un·totaled adjective
- un·totalled adjective
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of total1
Discover More
Synonym Study
Discover More
Example Sentences
The number of total hours worked in the two countries has decreased by almost exactly the same amount.
Bankruptcy filings for 2020 are clocking in at 424, according to S&P Global, and look on track to upset the total filings in 2010.
Of that total, almost precisely half are projected to have occurred in red states.
That ended up happening, and 21 total students finished the class in the fourth quarter.
The landscape is more encouraging internationally, where “Tenet” this weekend added over $30 million, pushing its global total to $207 million.
Certainly, she seems to command near-total devotion among her clients.
Total oil production figures include crude oil, natural gas liquids, and other liquid energy products.
Former Gov. Jimmy Carter entered the 1976 Presidential campaign as a more or less total unknown.
He advocates a secular regime with a total separation of religion form the government.
More than 750 prisoners have been detained in total over the past 13 years, and about 2,100 people work there.
Besides these, twenty thousand Indians are under the care of secular priests—making a total of two hundred and five thousand.
Quantitative estimation of the total sulphates yields little of clinical value.
The total fresh troops amounted to about 500 men of the 73rd Native Regiment and Spanish cazadores.
Rich natives and Chinese lost large sums of money, the total of which cannot be ascertained.
Almost one-quarter of the total supply printed has been placed in circulation.
Advertisement
Discover More
More About Total
What does total mean?
Total describes the wholeness or entirety of something, like the total amount of cake you ate last night. If you ate the total cake, you ate the entire cake (and might have felt sick afterward!).
Total describes the breadth of something either physically or conceptually. For example, your total order describes all the items in your purchase. While if you’re a total success, you are completely successful.
A total is the complete amount or sum. The total on your restaurant bill is the entire amount of money you owe for your meal.
A total can also be the entirety of something. The total of your book collection would be all the books you own, and the total of your sports equipment is all the equipment you own.
Finally, to total is to add up (to total your bill) or to reach an amount, as in The bill totalled up to $56.75.
Example: The total on the bill is higher than I expected because I forgot about sales tax.
Where does total come from?
The first records of the term total come from the 1300s. It comes from the Medieval Latin tōtālis.
Total also has a slang sense, meaning to completely destroy, as in I totaled my car or The building was totaled. When something is totaled, it is completely destroyed or broken down beyond usability. For a total understanding of total, read on!
Did you know … ?
What are some other forms related to total?
- quasi-total (adjective)
- retotal (verb)
- totally (adverb)
- untotalled (adjective)
What are some synonyms for total?
What are some words that share a root or word element with total?
What are some words that often get used in discussing total?
How is total used in real life?
Total is used in a wide variety of contexts, including as an adjective when discussing the scope of something, a noun when discussing a dollar amount, and a verb when discussing the destruction of something.
I’m in total disbelief right now 💔
— Normani (@Normani) September 7, 2018
When Notre Dame stops paying Charlie Weis after tomorrow, the total bill will come to about $49.5 million. That's for 35 wins.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 31, 2015
Added honey and almond milk. Was a total success. Tasted like Honey Nut Cheerios.
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) June 24, 2017
Try using total!
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for total?
A. all
B. whole
C. part
D. complete
Word of the Day
[tawr-choo-uhs ]
Meaning and examplesStart each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!
By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse