What does "total" mean?
An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
Total
/ˈtəʊ.tl̩/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
- Grammar: total is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aggregate, amount, sum, abject.
- Useful contrasts: attenuated, conditional, depleted.
- Usage evidence: How much money did you spend in total?
How to use "total"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "total" 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 "total" 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 "total" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "total" 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 "total" is acting as adj, 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 "aggregate" 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 "total", 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 An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
"A total of £145 was raised by the bring-and-buy stall."
- 2 the whole amount wordnet
- 3 Sum. informal
"The total of 4, 5 and 6 is 15."
- 4 a quantity obtained by the addition of a group of numbers wordnet
Verb
- 1 To add up; to calculate the sum of. transitive
"When we totalled the takings, we always got a different figure."
- 2 damage beyond the point of repair wordnet
- 3 To equal a total of; to amount to.
"That totals seven times so far."
- 4 determine the sum of wordnet
- 5 To demolish; to wreck completely. (from total loss) US, slang, transitive
"Honey, I’m OK, but I’ve totaled the car."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 add up in number or quantity wordnet
- 7 To amount to; to add up to. intransitive
"It totals nearly a pound."
Adjective
- 1 Entire; relating to the whole of something.
"The total book is rubbish from start to finish. The total number of votes cast is 3,270."
- 2 Complete; absolute.
"He is a total failure."
- 3 Defined on all possible inputs.
"The Ackermann function is one of the simplest and earliest examples of a total computable function that is not primitive recursive."
- 4 Left total: Such that for every x in X there is a y in Y with x R y. broadly
- 5 Such that any two elements are comparable, i.e. for all a and b, either a ≤ b, or b ≤ a.
Adjective
- 1 constituting the full quantity or extent; complete wordnet
- 2 complete in extent or degree and in every particular wordnet
Example
"How much money did you spend in total?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "total"?
Common synonyms include: aggregate, amount, sum, abject, absolute, absolute.
How do you use "total" in a sentence?
How much money did you spend in total?
How do you pronounce "total"?
Pronounced /ˈtəʊ.tl̩/.
Etymology
From Middle English total, from Old French total, from Medieval Latin tōtālis, from tōtus (“all, whole, entire”) + -ālis, the former element of unknown origin. Perhaps related to Oscan touto (“community, city-state”), Umbrian 𐌕𐌏𐌕𐌀𐌌 (totam, “tribe”, acc.), Old English þēod (“a nation, people, tribe”), from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂ (“people”). More at English Dutch, English thede.