total
gb/tˈoʊtəl/ us/tˈoʊtəl/
A2
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A2
property
1
whole or complete amount
All of something; not just part of it.
Usage pattern:
the total [amount/number/cost]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'total' with 'final', but 'total' refers to the sum or whole amount, not necessarily the last one in a sequence.
Synonyms
complete (Emphasizes entirety but can also refer to qualitative completeness, not just quantity.)
|
entire (Similar in meaning, often used for things seen as a whole unit.)
Antonyms
partial (Refers to only part of something rather than the whole.)
Collocations
total amount
|total cost
|total number
|total score
|total population
Themes
mathematics
|daily life
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The total cost of the trip was $500.
- We need the total number of participants before printing the programs.
- Her total income last year was higher than expected.
- The total score of both teams was 5–3.
- The total area of the property is two acres.
Learner examples
- The total price is ten dollars.
- The total number of students is twenty.
- The total time is one hour.
- The total weight is five kilos.
Noun
A2
entity
2
sum or whole amount
The whole number or amount of something.
Usage pattern:
the total of [numbers/amounts]
Common mistake:
Some learners mistakenly use 'total' as a verb when they mean the noun form, e.g., 'I will total it' instead of 'I will find the total'.
Synonyms
sum (Mathematical term for the result of addition, often interchangeable in numerical contexts.)
Antonyms
portion (A part of a whole rather than the complete amount.)
Collocations
grand total
|running total
|final total
|overall total
Themes
mathematics
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The grand total came to $1,200.
- Add these figures to get the total.
- The final total will be announced after all votes are counted.
- What's the total for this order?
- The running total shows how much we've spent so far.
Learner examples
- The total is ten.
- Please write the total here.
- What is the total for these items?
- Add them to get the total.
Verb
B1
action
3
calculate full sum
To add numbers together to find the whole amount.
Usage pattern:
to total [numbers/amounts]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'total' with 'count', but 'count' means finding how many items there are, while 'total' means adding amounts together.
Synonyms
add up (Informal equivalent focusing on the act of summing.)
Collocations
total up
|total the bill
|total the scores
Themes
mathematics
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Please total these expenses for me.
- The cashier totaled my bill quickly.
- She totaled the scores from all three games.
- We need to total up the donations before announcing them.
Learner examples
- Please total these numbers.
- Can you total my bill?
- He will total the points.
- We must total up the costs.
Verb
B2
action
4
destroy vehicle completely
To crash a car so badly that it cannot be fixed or would cost too much to fix.
Usage pattern:
to total [a car/vehicle]
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'total' here means 'count' because of its other meanings, but in this sense it's slangy and means to completely destroy a vehicle.
Synonyms
wreck (More general and informal; can refer to any severe damage, not just vehicles.)
Collocations
total a car
|total your vehicle
Themes
transportation
|accidents
|finance
Examples
- He totaled his car in the accident.
- The storm totaled several parked vehicles.
- She totaled her motorcycle after hitting a tree.
Learner examples
- He totaled his car last week.
- The crash totaled my bike.
- She totaled her car in the rain.
Grammar
Dictionary form
total
IPA
GB/tˈoʊtəl/
US/tˈoʊtəl/
Syllables & stress
total (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (total)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: total
Noun
- Base: total
- Plural: totals
Verb
- Base: total
- 3rd Person Singular: totals
- Present Participle: totaling, totalling
- Past: totaled, totalled
Word family
Expressions
a grand total of
1/ə ɡɹˈænd tˈoʊtəl əv/
fixed phrase
final complete sum after all counted
Used to emphasize the final and complete number or amount, often surprisingly large or small.
Examples
- They raised a grand total of $10,000 for charity.
- After three hours, we caught a grand total of two fish.
bring to a total of
1/bɹˈɪŋ tə ə tˈoʊtəl əv/
fixed phrase
make an amount reach a certain sum
To make an amount become a specific whole number after adding something to it.
Examples
- This donation brings our fundraising to a total of $5,000.
- The new members bring our club to a total of 30 people.
in total
1/ˈɪn tˈoʊtəl/
fixed phrase
as a whole amount after addition
Used to show the whole number or amount after adding all parts together.
Examples
- We had 50 guests in total at the wedding.
- In total, the repairs cost over $2,000.