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

Though many details of river behavior are still being actively studied, the existing mountain of research has yielded explanations that add up to a somewhat satisfying basic understanding. — Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026

While that isolated figure may not sound like much, that ostensibly insignificant amount of time adds up to a little over 19 days worth of sleep over the course of a year. — Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Aug. 2026

All of this adds up to a steady drag on performance that many firms underestimate. — Eric Huttman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Of the 295,000 units Grande registered for the week, album sales were responsible for 168,000 of those, adding up to her second-best sales week ever, according to Billboard. — Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Aug. 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