What does "tot" mean?
A small child.
Tot
/tɑt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small child.
- Grammar: tot is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: toddler, tyke, add, add.
- Useful contrasts: adult, full measure, grownup.
- Usage evidence: Name me, name me not; my name is Tom Tit Tot.
How to use "tot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tot" 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 "tot" 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 "tot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tot" 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 "tot" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "toddler" 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 "tot", 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 A small child.
"He learned to run when he was just a tot."
- 2 A total, an addition of a long column of figures.
- 3 Initialism of tip of the tongue. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
"When experiencing a TOT, people not only retrieve a blocked word's sound and meaning; they also know some of its grammatical properties."
- 4 a young child who is just beginning to walk wordnet
- 5 A small amount of liquor, (particularly) a small measure of rum.
"Then I give them a tot of rum apiece, as they sit huddled in their blankets."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 Initialism of turnover tax. Kenya, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 7 a small amount (especially of a drink) wordnet
- 8 Ellipsis of tater tot. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 9 Initialism of transfer of technology. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 10 A small cup, usually made of tin. Barbados
- 11 Initialism of time over target abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 12 A foolish fellow. UK, dialectal, obsolete
"Whoe answeared like a toute, or a maddman, as he was, that he was for the Kinge."
- 13 Initialism of time on target abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To sum or total.
"There are, of course, many ways to proceed from here, the most likely being that you, as an experienced tradesman, would simply know what these amounts come to (in terms of groups of ten) and can tot them up in your head."
- 2 determine the sum of wordnet
- 3 To mark (a debt) with the word tot (Latin for "so much"), indicating that it was good or collectible for the amount specified. UK, historical
"a totted debt"
Proper Noun
- 1 Initialism of Trail of Tears. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Name me, name me not; my name is Tom Tit Tot."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tot"?
Common synonyms include: toddler, tyke, add, add, add together, add up.
How do you use "tot" in a sentence?
Name me, name me not; my name is Tom Tit Tot.
How do you pronounce "tot"?
Pronounced /tɑt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Scots tot, a shortened form of totum (“small child; tot”), of uncertain origin, perhaps shortened from totter (“to move in an unsteady way”), Compare tottle, also Old Norse tottr (“name of a dwarf”), Swedish tutte (“small child”), Danish tommeltot (“little child”).
Etymology 2
Clipping of total (“to sum”).