total
nounadjectiveverbcommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈtəʊ.tl̩//
- United States//ˈtoʊ.tl̩//
- United States/[tʰoʊ̯ɾɫ]/
- United States/[tʰɔɾɫ]/
An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
noun
- 1
An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
A total of £145 was raised by the bring-and-buy stall.
- 2
informalSum.
The total of 4, 5 and 6 is 15.
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.
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.
Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,[…]. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
Each member brought a unique musical influence to the total sound.
Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month.
- 2
Complete; absolute.
He is a total failure.
Air waid! Wights out! Total bwackout!
- 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.
- 5
Such that any two elements are comparable, i.e. for all a and b, either a ≤ b, or b ≤ a.
verb
- 1
To add up; to calculate the sum of.
When we totalled the takings, we always got a different figure.
- 2
To equal a total of; to amount to.
That totals seven times so far.
- 3
slangTo demolish; to wreck completely. (from total loss)
Honey, I’m OK, but I’ve totaled the car.
He acted real funny / He hocked up a rock and / It totaled my car!
Smashed up against a car at 3 AM, / The kids dressed up for basketball beat me in my head, / There's bum trash in my hall, and my place is ripped, / I totaled another amp, I'm calling in sick.
- 4
To amount to; to add up to.
It totals nearly a pound.
Forms
- plural
- totals
- comparative
- more total
- superlative
- most total
- past tense
- totaled, totalled
- past participle
- totaled, totalled
- present participle
- totaling, totalling
- third person singular
- totals
total · An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
totally · To the fullest extent or degree.totem · Any natural object or living creature that serves as an…toto · Only used in in toto