add
verb
Simple meaning
to join things together to make a larger amount or quantity
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
adIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈæd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To join or unite (e.g. one thing to another, or as several particulars) so as to increase the number, augment the quantity, or enlarge the magnitude, or so as to form into one aggregate.
transitive
To combine elements of (something) into one quantity.
To sum up; to put together mentally; to add up.
Determine the sum of
“Add all the people in this town to those of the neighboring town.”
transitive
To append (e.g. a statement); to say further information.
transitive
To give by way of increased possession (to someone); to bestow (on).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To join or unite (e.g. one thing to another, or as several particulars) so as to increase the number, augment the quantity, or enlarge the magnitude, or so as to form into one aggregate.
To 'add' means to combine things, increasing quantity or forming a larger whole. It's a fundamental action, often paired with 'to' ('add to') or 'together' ('add together').
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Cooking recipes
“Add a cup of flour to the mixing bowl slowly.”
Math homework
“Please add all these numbers and show your work.”
Shopping lists
“Don't forget to add milk to the grocery list.”
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use add
- “Add all the people in this town to those of the neighboring town.”verb
- “We added two students to that dorm room.”verb
- “This paper will add to her reputation.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: to join or unite (e.g. one thing to another
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.