DictionarytotalDamage beyond repair
verb

total

To damage a vehicle beyond practical repair.

The collision totals the old car.

Etymology

The vehicle verb shortens the idea of declaring a total loss. Damage is so extensive that repair is considered impractical or uneconomical.

More examples

  • A fallen tree totaled their truck.
  • The insurer said the vehicle had been totaled.
  • He narrowly avoided totaling the rental car.

Forms

total · totals · totaled · totaling

Similar words

wreck
Means to damage badly, without necessarily making repair impractical.
destroy
A broader word for making something unusable or nonexistent.