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.
Secondly, the company expects improved downstream performance to add up to $10 billion, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The state’s plan to revamp the setting of car insurance rates doesn’t add up for Mercury’s George Joseph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Previous research studies have indicated that repeated exposure to small amounts of mycotoxins can add up over time and may eventually create health concerns.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
"Both are costs that can add up for frequent travellers," the CMA said.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
"I read your trial transcript. Things didn't add up."
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
