add up

verb

added up; adding up; adds up

Definition of add up

intransitive verb

1a : 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

2a : 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

Recent Examples on the Web

These details, along with even smaller ones, such as the availability of roadside assistance, add up to meaningful differences. — Car and Driver, "A Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Could Be a Great Deal," 22 Jan. 2019 But the reward added up to nearly 18.5 quintillion grains of rice, or something like 318 billion tons. — Jo Craven Mcginty, WSJ, "Six Feet, 48 Hours, 10 Days: How to Avoid Flu," 4 Jan. 2019 And this year, those factors — plus a plethora of good movies on offer — added up to some record numbers. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "Ralph Breaks the Internet and Creed II topped a record-breaking weekend at the movies.," 26 Nov. 2018 Might the individual, transactional elements of Mr Trump’s policy add up to something grander, that might even be called Trumpism? — The Economist, "Donald Trump is undermining the rules-based international order," 7 June 2018 The Duchess of Sussex had the priciest duds by a landslide, with her new purchases reportedly adding up to $508,258. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Meghan Markle Had the Most Expensive Royal Wardrobe in 2018—By a Landslide," 6 Jan. 2019 In 2007, Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez became a Peyton Manning favorite for the day with six catches for 134 yards and two scores, adding up to 31.4 points in leagues that award a point per reception (56.7% of his prior total). — Michael Salfino, WSJ, "Derrick Henry’s 238-Yard Game Wasn’t a Fantasy," 7 Dec. 2018 Today, Facebook is adding a new feature to Groups: giant, intergroup Messenger chats with the option to add up to 250 people, via TechCrunch. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Facebook is adding support for 250-person chats in Groups," 11 Oct. 2018 There could be some things adding up to suggest that there are at least a couple of jurors that have some skepticism about the prosecution's case, and perhaps a reasonable doubt. — Fox News, "Former top intelligence officials come to Brennan's defense," 18 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'add up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near add up

adductor impression

Statistics for add up

Last Updated

18 May 2019

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Time Traveler for add up

The first known use of add up was in 1850

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