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's a frightening position to be in, especially when medical expenses can add up so quickly. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026

The economic ripple effects of a case Those indirect costs can add up quickly because measles is highly contagious and a single infected person can expose dozens of others. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2026

But something doesn’t add up about the apparent culprit, Kelly (Shayna Benardo), a poor, placid girl with learning difficulties. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Nov. 2026

Traveling the world is a goal for many, but expenses can add up quickly. — CBS News, 10 Nov. 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