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

Meanwhile a new report from AARP shows that over a drug's lifetime, small increases can add up. —Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 14 Jan. 2025

But fiber-optic drones tend to be more expensive and heavier, the Iron Cluster experts said, adding up to 1.5 kilograms [3.3 pounds] extra to the drone's weight for a roughly 10-kilometer [6.2-mile] length of cable. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025

Additionally, having another underlying medical condition, such as peripheral neuropathy or dementia, could make the effects of vitamin B12 deficiency add up with these other underlying disorders, worsening your overall symptoms. —Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 11 Jan. 2025

Wawa is adding up to 10 more stores in North Carolina this year, from the eastern part of the state to the Triangle. —Katie Peralta Soloff, Axios, 10 Jan. 2025

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