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 of add up

• come (to)
• correspond (to)
• amount (to)

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

Then add up essential expenses, such as housing, utilities, groceries, insurance, and debt payments. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026

For shoppers who want to keep tabs on their holiday purchases and see how their spending adds up, Rocket Money's free tier can be a useful place to start. — Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

When layered on top of each other, Illinois and federal tax incentives add up to almost the entire cost of one of Richardson’s storage batteries, said Scott DuBois, director of the company’s storage operations. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

But at the individual level, small decisions are adding up to a collective mind shift. — Sara Llana, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Rhymes for add up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

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