total

1 of 4

adjective

to·​tal ˈtō-tᵊl How to pronounce total (audio)
Synonyms of totalnext
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

Relevance

Adjective

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
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
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.
Adjective
Monitors predicted that total turnout in the election could reach around 70%, unseen in Serbia since 2000. — Jovana Gec, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026 His total catalog, including his work with Ryan Lewis, nearly doubled over the same period, rising 97% from just over 1 million streams to nearly 2 million. — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2026
Noun
Veronica Burton matched Stokes' team-high scoring total with 13 points, while Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini chipped in with 12 apiece and Williams had nine. — Reuters, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026 There is no conceivable reason why USC should have lost to a football team that passed for a total of 58 yards. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
By October that year, the Internal Revenue Service delivered more than 160 million payments totaling over $270 billion. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026 Runner also received the maximum annual performance bonus of 5% of his base salary, totaling $15,900, which the City Council can award following his annual performance review, according to the report. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of total was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing total

Rhymes for total

See All Rhymes for total

Browse Nearby Words

totable
total
total abstinence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/total. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

total

1 of 3 adjective
to·​tal ˈtōt-ᵊl How to pronounce total (audio)
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
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