add up

British  

verb

1. to find the sum (of)

2. (intr) to result in a correct total

3. informal (intr) to make sense

4. to amount to

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add up Idioms  

1. Amount to an expected or correct total, as in These figures don't add up , meaning they are not correct. [Mid-1800s]

2. Be consistent, make sense, as in I'm not sure that all this testimony will add up . [First half of 1900s]

3. Assess, form an opinion of, as in He looked across the track and added up the competition . Also see add up to .

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Example Sentences

A coalition of union leaders said the district’s numbers don’t add up.

From Los Angeles Times

Jonah figured she was adding up all the possibilities: seventh grader acting interested plus a chance to tick off older brother plus a chance to show off.

From Literature

"The initial theory of a car accident was just not adding up."

From BBC

While these products may not charge traditional interest, many still charge monthly subscription fees that can add up significantly over time.

From MarketWatch

“It’s our last, very thin thread of hope to have somebody take a look at this, because the numbers just did not add up for us,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confirm
• convince
• demonstrate
• determine
• explain
• find
• justify
• result
• show
• substantiate
• test
• try
• turn out
• validate
• verify