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

• 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

While three servings a day is the goal, every bit of flavonoid-rich food adds up. —Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2025

All of that, in the long run, adds up to a more expensive ride. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2025

For Bengio, all this adds up to more proof that independent third parties need to take a closer look at AI companies’ safety methodologies. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025

Naturally, all these costs can add up, meaning being a devoted K-Pop super fan can get costly. —Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 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