total
/ˈtəʊ.təl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtoʊ.t̬əl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtō-tᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtəʊtl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtəʊtl/ (ame, ipa)
total — noun
- totalsingular
- totalsplural
1. the number or amount that you get when you add everything together, such as the
the number or amount that you get when you add everything together, such as the final bill for a meal or the sum of all items on a list.
The total for dinner came to NT$1,200 after the tip was added.
collocation: the total for [item/service]
Christopher added up all the numbers and wrote the total at the bottom.
collocation: add up / write the total
In total, the school raised over fifty thousand dollars for the new library.
The accountant checked the total three times before sending out the invoice.
- part
a part is only a portion of the whole total
文法句型
the total of [number]
a total of [number]
total — adjective
- totalpositive
- more totalcomparative
- most totalsuperlative
1. used to describe the whole of something, with every part included and nothing le
used to describe the whole of something, with every part included and nothing left out — such as the full cost of a trip, the complete number of people, or the entire time something takes.
The total cost of the trip included the flights, the hotel, and all meals.
collocation: total cost
Rania was surprised by the total number of guests who came to the wedding.
collocation: total number
The company reported a total profit of two million dollars for the year.
Maeve spent a total of six hours painting the living room wall.
- entire
very close in meaning; 'entire' emphasises that nothing is missing, while 'total' emphasises the summed result
- whole
also very similar; 'whole' often suggests a single complete unit, while 'total' is more numerical
- complete
focuses on having all parts; used with collections or sets rather than amounts
- partial
a partial amount is only a part of the whole
文法句型
total + noun (uncountable or plural)
用法筆記
This sense is always used before a noun (attributive). You cannot say 'the cost was total' to mean the complete cost.
常見錯誤
2. used to emphasise a quality or situation in the strongest possible way — for exa
used to emphasise a quality or situation in the strongest possible way — for example, describing something as a total disaster, a total surprise, or a state of total chaos.
The school play was a total disaster when the lights went out halfway through.
collocation: total disaster
After the earthquake, the village was in total chaos for several days.
collocation: total chaos
Esteban felt a total sense of relief when he finished his final exam.
The news of the promotion came as a total surprise to Sofia.
文法句型
total + noun expressing a strong quality
用法筆記
This sense is typically used with nouns that already carry a strong evaluation (disaster, chaos, failure, surprise). It adds emphasis rather than literal completeness.
常見錯誤
total — verb
- totalpresent simple I / you / we / they
- totals3rd person singular
- totaling-ing form
- totaledpast simple
1. to calculate the complete amount of something by adding numbers together, or to
to calculate the complete amount of something by adding numbers together, or to reach a particular amount when all parts are added — for example, totalling your expenses on a calculator, or bills that total several hundred dollars.
Eitan totalled the expenses on his phone before leaving the restaurant.
The donations from the bake sale totalled over three hundred dollars.
intransitive: [items] total [amount]
Walid totalled the scores from all five judges to find the winner.
Her collection of rare books totalled more than two thousand volumes.
文法句型
total + noun phrase
total up + noun phrase
用法筆記
When used transitively (to total something), it means 'to calculate the sum'. When used intransitively (something totals an amount), it means 'to add up to that amount'.
常見錯誤
2. to damage a car, truck, or other vehicle so severely that repairing it costs mor
to damage a car, truck, or other vehicle so severely that repairing it costs more than the vehicle is worth, leading the insurance company to declare it a write-off.
Iker totalled his father's truck when he hit a tree on the icy road.
The insurance adjuster said the car was totalled after the highway crash.
passive: be totalled
Anong's cousin totalled her new scooter on the very first day of riding it.
The mechanic told Tariro that the van was totalled and not worth fixing.
文法句型
total + vehicle noun phrase
be totalled
用法筆記
This sense is informal and mostly used in American and Canadian English. In formal writing or insurance documents, 'write-off' or 'declared a total loss' are preferred. The British equivalent is 'write off'.
常見錯誤
3. to damage something — not a vehicle — so severely that it is ruined or cannot be
to damage something — not a vehicle — so severely that it is ruined or cannot be used anymore, often used in casual speech about everyday objects.
Samir dropped his phone on the concrete floor and totalled the screen.
The construction crew accidentally totalled the garden when they dug the foundation.
Jisoo's cat knocked over a bottle of ink and totalled the new carpet.
The storm totalled the wooden fence and left pieces scattered across the yard.
文法句型
total + noun phrase
用法筆記
This is an extension of the vehicle-wrecking sense (verb/2) to other objects. It remains informal and American. In British English, 'trash' or 'ruin' are more common for this meaning.
total — adverb
1. used as an informal short form of 'totally', meaning completely or to the greate
used as an informal short form of 'totally', meaning completely or to the greatest degree — for example, saying 'I was total confused' in casual American speech.
Christopher was total confused by the complicated instructions for the game.
informal: total + adjective
After running for an hour, Jisoo was total exhausted and sat down on a bench.
The instructions were total useless because they were written in another language.
Anong said the movie was total awesome and made us all go see it.
- totally
the standard adverb form; use 'totally' in writing and formal speech
- completely
standard register; slightly less emphatic than 'totally'
- absolutely
standard register; used for emphasis, especially with positive adjectives
文法句型
total + adjective
total + verb phrase
用法筆記
This use of 'total' as an adverb is very informal and considered non-standard in written English. Standard English requires 'totally'. It is mainly found in casual American speech and dialogue in fiction.