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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That coupled with the skillet, grater, pasta pot, and other tools adds up to a full sink. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 19 June 2025 Wealth and power are tightly intertwined, and the median white household has a net worth 10 times the median Black household, a disparity that adds up to more than $10 trillion. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025 But Sugar Taco investors are not likely to get much of their money back, at least not without a lawsuit — and the math for launching legal action doesn’t really add up. John McDermott, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025 Multiply this over a dozen stops per route, and the cost implications begin to add up quickly. Satish Natarajan, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for add up

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of add up was in 1850

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Add up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/add%20up. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on add up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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