to unite or join so as to increase the number, quantity, size, or importance.
to add two cups of sugar; to add a postscript to her letter;
to add insult to injury.
to find the sum of (often followed byup ).
Add this column of figures.
Add up the grocery bills.
to say or write further.
to include (usually followed byin ).
Don't forget to add in the tip.
to combine (two or more numbers or quantities) by addition
to increase (a number or quantity) by another number or quantity using addition
to join (something) to something else in order to increase the size, quantity, effect, or scope; unite (with)
to add insult to injury
to have an extra and increased effect (on)
her illness added to his worries
(tr) to say or write further
to include
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English adden, from Latin addere, equivalent to ad- ad- + -dere “to put” (combining form; see do 1)
First recorded in 1975–80
When you add, you join two or more things together. If you add on to your summer cottage, you build an extra room that's connected to your existing house. If your boss adds ten dollars to your paycheck, she gives you the money in addition to, or on top of, your salary. And when you add a column of numbers, you combine each one in the list until you get a final answer. You might verbally add something by making one last statement: "I'd like to add that I can't wait to visit again!" The Latin root is addere, "add to, join, or attach."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Add the tea, olive brine and citrus juice.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
Add to that the very real essence of his appeal to some voters:
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Add all that together, and it's easy to see why Ferrari are fancied for a potential win this year.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Add to that inflation expectation of 2.39% for the next 10 years, and you have the bond’s overall, or nominal, yield of 4.48%.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
It leaned backwards as though the letters were reluctant to form words, and the words reluctant to be in sentences: Add the Pectin to concentrated juice.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
