add up
verb
added up; adding up; adds up
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
: to form an opinion of
added him up at a glance
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
By Ukrainian estimates, every square kilometer that Russia occupies costs its military more than 100 soldiers, either dead or gravely wounded, while its average monthly casualties add up to as many as 35,000 troops.
—
Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Axios ran these numbers, and calculated the decline in wages as a share of gross domestic income adding up to $12,000; as in, that’s how much less per year the average American is bringing home as a result of this dynamic.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
All that work adds up to a seemingly infinite number of layers.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Feb. 2026
County officials were quick to justify their spending and argued DOGE’s report lacked substance, saying the state’s figures didn’t add up and pointing out how prices have skyrocketed.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for add up
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Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Axios ran these numbers, and calculated the decline in wages as a share of gross domestic income adding up to $12,000; as in, that’s how much less per year the average American is bringing home as a result of this dynamic.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
All that work adds up to a seemingly infinite number of layers.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Feb. 2026
County officials were quick to justify their spending and argued DOGE’s report lacked substance, saying the state’s figures didn’t add up and pointing out how prices have skyrocketed.
—Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for add up
Cite this Entry
“Add up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/add%20up. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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