totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling
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
Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
The guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election, including the popular vote, all Seven Swing States, and 86% of the Counties across America.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 31 Mar. 2026
But on Monday, the team waived Jaden Ivey — who had spent a total of only 115 minutes on a basketball court in a Bulls jersey — after the guard went on a series of religious rants on his social media, including a bigoted diatribe against the NBA’s practice of hosting LGBTQ+ pride nights.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
The film budget totaled €655,414 ($707,000), representing 57% of 2024 levels.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
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
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Adjective
The pilot who was receiving instruction had nearly 6,000 total hours of civilian flight experience and more than 200 in the last six months.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
The guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President who won a Landslide Election, including the popular vote, all Seven Swing States, and 86% of the Counties across America.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
Ohtani threw a total of 67⅓ innings last year (including the postseason) in his return from a second elbow surgery.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 31 Mar. 2026
But on Monday, the team waived Jaden Ivey — who had spent a total of only 115 minutes on a basketball court in a Bulls jersey — after the guard went on a series of religious rants on his social media, including a bigoted diatribe against the NBA’s practice of hosting LGBTQ+ pride nights.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Mitchell closed with 21 points, Herro ended the night with 18 points, Pelle Larsson totaled 18 points and Andrew Wiggins finished with 13 points.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
The film budget totaled €655,414 ($707,000), representing 57% of 2024 levels.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 1 Apr. 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
Cite this Entry
“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/total. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
total
1 of 3 adjective
to·tal
ˈtōt-ᵊl 
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 noun1
: a product of addition : sum
2
: an entire amount
total
3 of 3 verb
totaled or totalled; totaling or totalling
1
2
: to amount to
donations totaled $120
3
: to make a total wreck of
totaled the car
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