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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While Burger King may occasionally add some “pizzazz” to its menu items to make the movie meals appear more “interesting and Instagrammable,” the company’s priority is to serve “great-tasting food,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Then parents should do the math to determine how much their child’s return will add to their household expenditures.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
Arsenal have the chance to add a second trophy this season when they take on Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on Sunday, 30 May in Budapest.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
A shortened timeline brings the potential for “forced buying” from top index providers, which could add tens of billions of dollars in demand for SpaceX, points out Joel Shulman, CEO of ERShares.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
To add a dog to a team anywhere on the trail was against the rules.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
