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

"That time served inside can add up for a lot of people. They do a lifetime jolt in a series of three‑month bits," he told AFP.

From Barron's

“While we’re dealing with all those things, the regular police work just doesn’t stop. The calls keep adding up, stacking up. It’s just not sustainable.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Taylor admitted the cost of paying for air fares and accommodation so often did add up, but said he did not drink or smoke and bought annual passes to make it more affordable.

From BBC

Maritime exports account for over two-thirds of Ukrainian agricultural exports, which some reports say add up to roughly $9bn.

From BBC

If you have Schedule C freelance income, you’ll want to add up your expenses separately and just add the totaled-up information to the tax forms.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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