add up [phrasal verb]
(calculate to find the total)
- Let’s add up the money we earn daily.
- We teach children how to read, write, and add up.
(come to the correct total or amount)
- Four and three add up to seven.
- These sums don’t add up. We had obviously made a mistake.
(make sense; seems likely to be true or correct)
- Her story doesn’t add up. She was just lying.
- The facts all seemed to add up. He must have stolen the money.
(slowly increase to a large number or amount)
- If you save a small amount each month, eventually it’ll add up.