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total

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noun

total

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word total distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of total are all, entire, and whole. While all these words mean "including everything or everyone without exception," total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

How does the word all relate to other synonyms for total?

All may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

When can entire be used instead of total?

In some situations, the words entire and total are roughly equivalent. However, entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

Where would whole be a reasonable alternative to total?

While in some cases nearly identical to total, whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of total
Adjective
The Texans went from 12th to 22nd in total yards, 13th to 19th in points per game and the fewest giveaways in the league to 11th most from 2023 to 2024. The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025 Yes, Kansas City’s defense is incredible and Mahomes is a postseason beast, but Buffalo beat the Chiefs once this season, recording 107 more total yards than the Chiefs on Nov. 17. Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was fourth with $12.7M (-11%), good for a running total of $220.5M; the pic is currently on digital PVOD. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025 Photo : Darin Schnabel, courtesy of RM Sotheby's A total of 360 examples of the Viper GTS Final Edition were built in 2002. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
The agency said the payments, which will total roughly $2.4 billion, should be received by late January in most cases. Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025 Rainfall could total nine-tenths of an inch in Covina; nearly three-quarters of an inch in downtown L.A., Long Beach and Santa Clarita; two-thirds of an inch in Redondo Beach; three-fifths of an inch in Fillmore and Canoga Park; and about half an inch in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for total 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for total
Adjective
  • Though presidential pardoning powers are absolute, such a preemptive move would be a novel and risky use of the president's extraordinary constitutional power.
    WILL WEISSERT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The first thing to clean: Your hands Washing your hands is one of the absolute best ways to protect yourself against illness, and this is especially true of norovirus.
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Putting Poeltl behind Anthony-Towns could give New York one of the best frontcourts in the entire NBA.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Longhorn defenders bracketed Smith the entire game to prevent big pass plays against them.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The upcoming game will utilize the power of modern consoles to display thousands of enemies on the screen and retell Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a more thorough manner.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
  • In return, give this non-toxic plant bright indirect sunlight and a thorough watering whenever the top inch of soil feels dry.
    Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The club expects the sum to be paid in full rather than part of any package including add-ons.
    The Athletic UK Staff, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
  • This €1 sum doesn't include legal fees to buy houses, and many require significant renovation work, which can often start at a minimum of $20,000.
    Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • As of Monday, personnel assigned to fight the blazes numbered more than 15,000 throughout Los Angeles County.
    Tom Hanson, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2025
  • That same year, a coalition of school districts, now numbering more than two hundred, filed suit against the voucher expansion.
    Alec MacGillis, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Head over to Walmart to add the Protege carry-on to your online cart, or keep scrolling to shop more luggage deals from the retailer.
    Megan Schaltegger, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The option was introduced in the United States in September 2024, allowing members to add a user outside their household for an additional fee starting at $7 per month.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
  • While that’s still below 1% of all luggage handled, try explaining that statistic to the family whose weekend away with the kids has been ruined by lost luggage.
    Duncan Madden, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The war is being run by zealots who will measure their success by the sheer number of people deported.
    Letters to the editor, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2025
  • What struck immigrant advocates about the raids was the sheer thuggishness of the operation, which dovetailed neatly with the uncompromosing rhetoric about immigration sounded by Trump during his campaign and in his inaugural speech Monday.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near total

Cite this Entry

“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/total. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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