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

---

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 .

---

Example Sentences

If a project shoots in Manitoba, for instance, the federal and provincial credits and uplifts can add up to more than 60%.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

For Brandon Guillebeaux, a longtime resident of this heavily Hispanic community, the trade-offs simply didn't add up.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Sex-based rights charity Sex Matters said "men's physical advantages in darts may be small but they all add up".

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Already, the costs are starting to add up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

What did it all add up to: something as incongruous and as crazy as raising a brood in a skeleton?

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

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