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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And after last year’s four-team 10-city barnstorming tour, the league will add two teams and anchor itself to locations in North Carolina, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
With operations spread across Europe, the U.S., and India, the Luxembourg-based steel maker is relatively protected and could benefit from higher steel prices worldwide, they add.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
“Increasing demand in 2027/28E could add further pressure to the market.”
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
“Depending on how much work you do, that’s how much flavor they add to it. And we’re just gonna absolutely sign up for it.”
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
We all get to add songs to the “Morning House” playlist.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
