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

Those bond issuances add up to around $1 billion, according to a 2024 Commerce report. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026

The Advanced Business Plan includes 4,000,000 credits per month, plus daily login credits that can add up to 450,000 extra credits per month. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026

Those who enter the market without enough understanding often don’t see how fast losses can add up. —Felysha Walker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026

The seamless experience of core Google Search plus Gemini — paired with the Apple Siri partnership, the profit geyser of YouTube, and fast-growing Google Cloud — adds up to a stock worth owning. —Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Mar. 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