1 B1 informal
To add together a number of individual amounts to produce a final total.
"When she totted up all her monthly outgoings, she realised she was spending far too much."
separable
tot up
B1 informal separable transitive
To add together a series of numbers or costs to find the final total.
In plain English
To add up lots of small numbers or amounts to get a total.
What does "tot up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To amount to a total when all items are added together.
"The repairs totted up to well over a thousand pounds."
inseparable
Usage tip
Chiefly British English. Commonly used when totalling a bill, a list of costs, or points in a game. Also used in the expression 'tot up to' meaning to amount to a total. The origin relates to an archaic use of 'tot' as a verb meaning to add up.
Words that pair with "tot up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
bill costs points score expenses debt
How to conjugate "tot up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
tot up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tots up
he/she/it
Past simple
toted up
yesterday
Past participle
toted up
have + pp
-ing form
toting up
continuous
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