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

Examples of add up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web So that adds up to like 200,000 connections per square millimeter if my math is right. Stephen Cass, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2024 If this didn't happen, the extra hours would add up over time and seasons would start to change. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024 But that still added up to 938 derailments nationwide last year. Josh Funk, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 ProPublica added up these kinds of fines levied against all Class 1 companies in 2022, the most recent year of data available. Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2024 This is true: human eyes weigh about 1% of our skull weight, while owl eyes can add up to nearly a third of the weight of their skulls. Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Starting in 2025, or the 2024 tax year, the benefit would be linked to inflation, which would add up to a roughly $100 boost next year. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 The latter adds up to 180 days of recording retention, person and package alerts, more advanced notification features, and regular snapshots. Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024 Late fees add up to billions of dollars The CFPB stated in its announcement Tuesday that its final rule will save consumers more than $10 billion in late fees annually once the final rule goes into effect by reducing the typical fee from $32 to $8. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'add up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of add up was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near add up

Cite this Entry

“Add up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/add%20up. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on add up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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