What does "tally" mean?
Abbreviation of tally stick.
Tally
/ˈtæli/ adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Abbreviation of tally stick.
- Grammar: tally is listed as adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: count, a reckoning of, accommodate, accommodate with.
- Useful contrasts: contradict, differ, erase.
- Usage evidence: My figures don't seem to tally with yours.
How to use "tally"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tally" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tally" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tally" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tally" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tally" is acting as adv, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "count" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tally", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Abbreviation of tally stick. abbreviation, alt-of
- 2 a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely wordnet
- 3 One of two books, sheets of paper, etc., on which corresponding accounts were kept. broadly
- 4 the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order wordnet
- 5 Any account or score kept by notches or marks, whether on wood or paper, or in a book, especially one kept in duplicate. broadly
"Bulgaria, inevitably, raised the tempo in the opening moments of the second half and keeper Joe Hart was forced into his first meaningful action to block a deflected corner - but England were soon threatening to add to their goal tally."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a bill for an amount due wordnet
- 7 One thing made to suit another; a counterpart or match. archaic
"So paired, so suited in their minds and persons, That they were framed the tallies for each other."
- 8 A notch, mark, or score made on or in a tally; as, to make or earn a score or tally in a game.
- 9 A tally shop.
- 10 A ribbon on a sailor's cap bearing the name of the ship or the (part of) the navy to which they belong.
- 11 A state of cohabitation, living with another individual in an intimate relationship outside of marriage. dated, informal, regional
"But I’d advise thee t’ live tally for o that, if thou con mak it reet wi’ some owd damsel, ut does no’ care what folk say’n about owt o’th’sort."
- 12 Five dozen bunches of turnips. UK, obsolete
"Then turnips isn't such good sale yet, but they may be soon, for winter's best for them. […] I buy turnips by the 'tally.' A tally's five dozen bunches."
Verb
- 1 To count something. transitive
- 2 determine the sum of wordnet
- 3 To mathematically calculate a numeric result. transitive
- 4 keep score, as in games wordnet
- 5 To record something by making marks. transitive
"The counter tallied the languages people were conversing in while walking along a set route that wove back and forth through the chairs and tables."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 gain points in a game wordnet
- 7 To make things correspond or agree with each other. transitive
"I am sorry to find they are not so well tallied to the present juncture as I could wish."
- 8 be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics wordnet
- 9 To keep score. intransitive
- 10 To correspond or agree. intransitive
"In some I found pieces of tiles that exactly tallied with the channel, and in others a little wall of bricks"
- 11 To check off, as parcels of freight going inboard or outboard.
"I loaded a cargo of potatoes in Dublin, for Bangor and Caernarvon, all in bags, for three different parties—viz. 13 tons delivered at Bangor, which was tallied in and out; remainder to Caernarvon, and was not tallied in, but tallied out."
Adverb
- 1 In a tall way; stoutly; with spirit. obsolete
"And you, Lodovick, / That stand so tally on your reputation, / You shall be he shall speak it."
Intj
- 1 Target sighted.
"(Air Traffic Control): Speedbird 123, New York, traffic at two o’clock, seven miles, a Boeing 737, west-bound, at 4000 feet."
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name.
- 2 A female given name.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"My figures don't seem to tally with yours."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tally"?
Common synonyms include: count, a reckoning of, accommodate, accommodate with, accord, accordance.
How do you use "tally" in a sentence?
My figures don't seem to tally with yours.
How do you pronounce "tally"?
Pronounced /ˈtæli/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Clipping of tallyho.
Etymology 2
From Middle English talie, from Anglo-Norman tallie and Old French taille (“notch in a piece of wood signifying a debt”), from Medieval Latin tallia, from Latin talea (“a cutting, rod, stick”). Doublet of taille and talea.
Etymology 3
From Middle English talien, from the noun (see above). Also from Medieval Latin taliare.
Etymology 4
From Middle English tally, talliche, equivalent to tall + -ly.