Meaning & use
add
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To combine numbers or amounts to find their total.
Grammar: Takes objects such as numbers, amounts, or a sum: add 4 and 6, add the cost to the bill.
Patterns
- add something and something
- add something to something
- add the numbers/amounts
Add 12 and 8 to get 20.
Please add the tax to the total.
She added the scores twice to check them.
verbtransitive
To put something together with something else as an extra part.
Grammar: Takes an object that is the thing being included; often followed by to: add a room to the house.
Patterns
- add something to something
- add an ingredient/note/room
- add a feature to a product
They added a porch to the house last year.
Add a pinch of salt to the soup.
The update adds a night mode to the camera.
verbintransitive
To increase or make something greater by being present or included.
Grammar: No direct object; usually followed by to: add to the problem, add to the cost.
Patterns
- add to something
- add to the difficulty/cost/pressure
The delay added to our stress.
Good lighting can add to the feeling of space.
His joke only added to the confusion.
Word forms
| third-person singular | adds |
|---|---|
| past tense | added |
| past participle | added |
| -ing form | adding |
Common combinations
- add up
- The numbers add up to a surprising total.
- add value
- The new design should add value for customers.
- add insult to injury
- To add insult to injury, the bus left early.
- add fuel to the fire
- Arguing online only added fuel to the fire.
Synonyms and how they differ
- total
- Total is more common as a noun or adjective; as a verb it means add up to a whole amount.
- include
- Include means make part of a whole, not necessarily arithmetic.
- attach
- Attach means join one thing to another, often physically, not find a sum.
Opposites
Word family
- addition noun
- the act of adding or something added
- addend noun
- a number added to another
- additive noun
- a substance added in a small amount
- additional adjective
- extra or added
Commonly confused: add or ad?
add vs ad
Ad is a short form of advertisement and sounds like the first syllable of add; spelling depends on meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses add correctly?
Choose one answer.
Add something to something is the standard pattern: add the flour to the bowl. Into can appear in casual speech, but to is the clearest pattern; the other prepositions do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “add”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.