add up
Britishverb
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to find the sum (of)
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(intr) to result in a correct total
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informal (intr) to make sense
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to amount to
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Amount to an expected or correct total, as in These figures don't add up , meaning they are not correct. [Mid-1800s]
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Be consistent, make sense, as in I'm not sure that all this testimony will add up . [First half of 1900s]
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Assess, form an opinion of, as in He looked across the track and added up the competition . Also see add up to .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Under state law, any single gift — or multiple gifts from the same source that add up to $50 or more during the annual period — must be disclosed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026
Something does not add up, even accounting for sales taxes and realtor fees.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
From match tickets to flights and hotels, plus the travel to stadiums and the cost of a drink once inside, the costs of attending can add up fast.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
Some groups have spoken of reducing their reliance on corporate partners with the help of individual donors, but in many cases the numbers don’t add up.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
I walked to the corner, but something didn’t add up.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
