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

That added up to a dream scenario for a seller, despite Zaslav’s desire for the company to remain a stand-alone entity. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

The Chinook Oldendorff case study shows that small contributions add up to significant savings on long sea journeys. —Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 2026

Ken, who's from the Bahamas and knows the area well, said, however, one detail doesn't add up. —Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Once contributions open on July 4, 2026, families and individuals can add up to $5,000 per year per child in after-tax dollars. —Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 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