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

There’s zero justification to declare a winner before the math adds up, and the raft of polling data does not get a vote. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024

With inflation, the cost of shipping, storage, and all other things have added up. —Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024

That might not sound like a lot, but as economists like me know, small sums add up over time. —Charles Sims / The Conversation, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2024

Some Santa Clara County cities have added up to 0.25%. —Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 1 Nov. 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