1 A2 neutral
To count a group of items to reach a total.
"At the end of the game, count up your points to see who won."
separable
count up
A2 neutral separable transitive
To count a collection of things to find the total.
In plain English
To count everything together to find out how many there are.
What does "count up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To count sequentially from a lower number to a higher one.
"The toddler proudly counted up from one to twenty without any help."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To count in an upward direction — fully transparent.
Actually means
To count everything together to find out how many there are.
Usage tip
Simple and very common. Used both for counting numbers upward and for totalling a collection of items. Often interchangeable with 'add up' in informal contexts.
Words that pair with "count up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
votes points coins score items results
How to conjugate "count up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
count up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
counts up
he/she/it
Past simple
counted up
yesterday
Past participle
counted up
have + pp
-ing form
counting up
continuous
Hear "count up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "count up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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