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.
Still, Elon Musk told his 241 million followers that the math doesn’t add up.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
Credibility with investors requires not just that Budget maths add up on Wednesday, but also belief that growth plans are realistic, and the perception that Downing Street can actually convince MPs to pass its Budget.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
I felt the best way to get across who he was was to show all the ways he was publicly, in stand-up, sketches, movies and interviews, and maybe it would add up to to something.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
McLane has a fleet of 3,700 tractors and 5,900 trailers, and aims to add up to 10 Aurora trucks by year-end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“So we have to add up something about...what? Baseball and the church?”
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
