add up

verb

added up; adding up; adds up

intransitive verb

1

a

: to come to the expected total

the bill doesn't add up

b

: to form an intelligible pattern : make sense

her story just doesn't add up

2

a

: amount sense 1b

—used with to

the play adds up to a lot of laughs

b

: to amount to a lot

just a little each time, but it all adds up

transitive verb

: to form an opinion of

added him up at a glance

Synonyms

• amount (to)
• come (to)
• correspond (to)
• emulate
• equal

Examples of add up in a Sentence

whether we take the 4:00 train or the 4:15 bus, it adds up to the same thing: they both get us back too late

even if we pool all our money, it won't add up to enough to rent a beach house for a week

Recent Examples on the Web

Initially, the environment can appear cheaper when looking at the starting cost, but many fail to account for the number of environments that are required in parallel (meaning costs add up quickly). —Steve Rodda, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

All the donations add up, from $10 to $18, $25 to $100, $1,200 to $12,000. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 26 Dec. 2024

That might add up to a couple of hundred every change. —New Atlas, 25 Dec. 2024

The sloppy moments added up to defensive dysfunction. —Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Kids Definition

add up

verb

1

a

: to come to a total and especially the expected total

b

: to make sense

her story just doesn't add up

2

: to amount to a lot

just a little each time, but it all adds up