Meaning & use
totaled
Last updated
“totaled” is a form of “total”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveAmericaninformal
completely destroyed a vehicle in an accident, so it is not worth repairing.
Grammar: Takes an object: totaled the car. Often passive: the car was totaled.
Patterns
- total a car
- be totaled
He totaled his new car in the crash.
The insurance company said the vehicle was totaled.
She walked away from the accident, but the car was totaled.
verbtransitive
added up numbers or amounts to find a total.
Grammar: Takes an object: totaled the bill. Also intransitive: the costs totaled $500.
Patterns
- total something
- total to something
She totaled the expenses for the month.
The donations totaled over a thousand dollars.
verbintransitive
amounted to a particular total.
Grammar: No object; often followed by to: totaled to $200.
Patterns
- total to something
The bill totaled to $150.
His earnings totaled to less than expected.
Word forms
| third person singular | totals |
|---|---|
| past tense | totaled |
| past participle | totaled |
| -ing form | totaling |
Common combinations
- total a car
- He totaled a car in the accident.
- be totaled
- The car was totaled in the crash.
- total the cost
- Let's total the cost before we decide.
- total to
- The expenses totaled to $500.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wreck
- Similar but can mean any kind of destruction; 'total' specifically means damage beyond repair.
- write off
- British English term for the same idea of a vehicle being too damaged to repair.
- add up
- For the 'calculate total' sense; more casual and often used with numbers.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: totaled or toted? totaled or tolled?
totaled vs toted
Means 'carried', often a gun or bag; different spelling and meaning.
totaled vs tolled
Refers to a bell ringing slowly; sounds similar but unrelated.
Practice
After the accident, the mechanic said the car was completely _____.
Choose one answer.
'Totaled' means the car was damaged beyond repair, which fits the context. 'Repaired' is the opposite, 'towed' means pulled away, and 'toted' means carried, which doesn't make sense here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “totaled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.