totalnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈtəʊ.təl/us/ˈtoʊ.t̬əl/B1 the amount you get when several smaller amounts are added together:
At that time of day, cars with only one occupant accounted for almost 80 percent of the total.
A total of 21 horses were entered in the race.
We made $1,000 in total, over three days of trading.
More examples
- The school bazaar raised a total of £550.
- The trip cost a total of £250, insurance included.
- The average of the three numbers 7, 12 and 20 is 13, because the total of 7, 12 and 20 is 39, and 39 divided by 3 is 13.
- These figures are expressed as a percentage of the total.
- Unemployment is likely to reach the highest total that has ever been recorded.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Calculations & calculating
- aggregate
- algorithm
- amount
- amount to sth
- average
- come to sth
- commutative
- computational
- compute
- equate
- figure
- get/have your sums right/wrong idiom
- grand total
- guesstimate
- instantaneous velocity
- miscalculate
- operation
- projected
- put sth at sth
- result
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totaladjective
uk/ˈtəʊ.təl/us/ˈtoʊ.t̬əl/total adjective (AMOUNT)
B1 [ before noun ] including everything:
the total cost
Total losses were $800.
More examples
- The total amount raised so far is approaching $1000.
- When you include all my overtime, my total pay is quite good.
- What is the total oil output from the British sector of the North Sea?
- We need to work out the total cost of the project.
- Although sexual and violent crimes have increased by 10%, they remain only a tiny fraction of the total number of crimes committed each year.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Complete and whole
- A, a
- a/one hundred percent idiom
- absolutely
- all or nothing idiom
- all-in-one
- all-inclusive
- flat
- full-fledged
- full-length
- fully
- fully fledged
- heart and soul idiom
- plain
- root
- totally
- unabridged
- unadulterated
- unconditional
- uncut
- undivided
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total adjective (VERY GREAT)
B2 very great or of the largest degree possible:
total secrecy
a total disregard for their feelings
total silence
The organization of the event was a total shambles (= very bad).
The collapse, when it came, was total.
More examples
- She stared at him in total incomprehension.
- Literary critics were in total disagreement about the value of the book.
- The meeting was a total failure.
- The Workers' Coalition experienced the ignominy of total defeat in the last election.
- He's a total no-hoper - he'll never achieve anything.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Complete and whole
- A, a
- a/one hundred percent idiom
- absolutely
- all or nothing idiom
- all-in-one
- all-inclusive
- flat
- full-fledged
- full-length
- fully
- fully fledged
- heart and soul idiom
- plain
- root
- totally
- unabridged
- unadulterated
- unconditional
- uncut
- undivided
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totalverb [ L only + noun, T ]
uk/ˈtəʊ.təl/us/ˈtoʊ.t̬əl/-ll- or US usually -l-total verb [ L only + noun, T ] (ADD UP)
C1 to have as a complete amount, or to calculate this:
This is the eighth volume in the series, which totals 21 volumes in all.
We totalled (up) the money we had each earned, and then shared it equally between the three of us.
More examples
- He ran up debts totalling nearly £3,000.
- If you total their earnings for the year, you will see they are quite substantial.
- Their combined service in the company totalled 50 years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Calculations & calculating
- aggregate
- algorithm
- amount
- amount to sth
- average
- come to sth
- commutative
- computational
- compute
- equate
- figure
- get/have your sums right/wrong idiom
- grand total
- guesstimate
- instantaneous velocity
- miscalculate
- operation
- projected
- put sth at sth
- result
See more results »
total verb [ L only + noun, T ] (DAMAGE)
mainly US UK write off to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:
His son totaled the pickup when it was ten months old.
to damage something extremely badly:
Volkswagen hasn't just put a few dings in its brand; it may have totaled it.