add up — calculate the total
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To 'add up' means to calculate the total of several numbers or amounts.
Say it like a native
Textbook Please calculate the sum of these figures.
Native Can you add these figures up?
'Add up' is the everyday verb for totalling numbers; 'calculate the sum of' is textbook.
Pattern: add up (something)
In use
- Can you add up these receipts for me?money
- In my part-time job, I often have to add up the sales at the end of the day.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Add up them for me.
✓ Add them up for me.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'add them up'.
Common collocations
add up + numbers— the numbers, the bill, the total, the cost
Don't confuse it
This sense is about numbers and totals, not about logic or sense.
Related
- add up (make sense) — Another meaning of 'add up' is 'make sense'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.