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

This staying fresh and clean theory makes sense, but the chicken wing method just doesn't add up because in the latest video, Clyde's fingers are all over the fries. —Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

That estimate would add up to a total of about $108 million in sales over the course of the playoffs, in the event the Knicks end up playing two NBA Finals games at home. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 9 June 2026

Each federation for the 48 teams taking part is entitled to receive and distribute 8% of the stadium seats for the World Cup, adding up to several thousand tickets per game. —CBS News, 9 June 2026

Totals across the federal, state and local level add up to almost $200 million. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 9 June 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