Meaning & use
grand total
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Meaning
nounsingular
The final amount you get after adding up all the separate sums or subtotals.
Grammar: Usually takes the or a: the grand total was high; the plural grand totals is rare.
Patterns
- a grand total of something
- the grand total for something
After adding every receipt, the grand total came to four hundred dollars.
The grand total for the whole trip was lower than we had feared.
Her spreadsheet shows a grand total at the bottom of the page.
Word forms
| plural | grand totals |
|---|
Common combinations
- a grand total of
- The charity raised a grand total of five thousand dollars.
- the grand total
- What is the grand total for all three rooms?
- work out the grand total
- Let me work out the grand total before we pay.
- grand total comes to
- The grand total comes to over two hundred dollars.
- calculate the grand total
- Use a spreadsheet to calculate the grand total.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sum total
- Sum total is a little more formal and often refers to all of something, such as the sum total of his knowledge.
- overall total
- Overall total is plainer and equally correct, but grand total sounds more final.
- total
- Total is the general word and can be partial, while grand total clearly means the last figure.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: grand total or gross total?
grand total vs gross total
A gross total is the amount before deductions such as tax, while a grand total is simply the final sum of everything added.
Practice
After adding the subtotals for each department, the accountant wrote the ___ at the bottom.
Choose one answer.
The grand total is the last amount after combining all the subtotals. A subtotal is only a partial sum, which would not be the final figure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grand total”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.