add up
verb
added up; adding up; adds up
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
: 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
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
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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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
Cite this Entry
“Add up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/add%20up. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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