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

The price to hire a professional to style your glamping sleepover can add up though—especially for larger parties. —Liz Regalia, Parents, 6 Dec. 2025

In a more congested low-Earth orbit, that lost information adds up and some of it can never be recovered. —Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025

That plan would also give every child a $1,000 deposit at birth, but would add up to $2,000 a year in federal contributions, with the largest amounts going to the families with the least. —Neale Mahoney, Time, 5 Dec. 2025

That money will also be used to fund mental health counseling and add up to 125 wigs to its wig bank. —Katie Lauer, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025

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