Meaning & use
add details
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To include extra pieces of specific information that make something fuller or clearer.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the thing you enrich usually comes after 'to': add details to a report.
Patterns
- add details to something
- add more details about something
- add details in a section
Please add details to your application, such as dates and job titles.
She added a few details about the venue so guests could find it.
The report is good, but you should add more details about the costs.
phraseidiom
To give more of the small facts of a story, often making it longer or more interesting.
Grammar: Often used for stories or descriptions; the details are usually new, extra facts.
Patterns
- add details to a story
- add details about what happened
He added details to the story each time he told it.
Witnesses added details about the car and the driver.
Common combinations
- add further details
- We will add further details once the schedule is confirmed.
- add details later
- You can add details later if you save the draft.
- add specific details
- Try to add specific details instead of general statements.
- add details to a report
- He had to add details to the report before sending it.
- without adding details
- She mentioned the problem without adding details.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elaborate
- Elaborate means to explain more fully and at length; 'add details' is simpler and focuses on supplying extra facts.
- expand
- Expand means to make something longer or larger overall, while 'add details' stresses the extra information itself.
- specify
- Specify means to state something exactly; 'add details' is broader and can include examples, dates, and descriptions.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: add details or add detail?
add details vs add detail
'Add detail' (uncountable) means adding the quality of being detailed, while 'add details' means adding individual facts.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Add details to something' is the standard pattern when you enrich an existing thing. 'In the report' would mean the details are physically inside it, and 'on' and 'for' do not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “add details”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.