chalk up

verb

chalked up; chalking up; chalks up

transitive verb

1
: ascribe, credit
chalked up his failures to inexperience
2
: attain, achieve
chalk up another victory

Examples of chalk up in a Sentence

let's chalk up her weird behavior to simple nervousness chalked up a record in singles tennis that is likely to stand for a long time
Recent Examples on the Web The difference between the estimates can be chalked up to varying interest rates, maturity periods, and timelines for issuing the bonds. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Luttwak and Shamir chalk up the success of the Israel Defense Forces to its ability to innovate, explained not only by operating in an environment of constant peril but also by its relaxed culture and streamlined structure. Shashank Joshi, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 This growth could’ve been chalked up to another quirky quarantine hobby, but interest hasn’t let up, according to Ronayne. Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 24 Jan. 2024 Gordon shot 2-of-9 from the field, going 1-of-8 from 3, but left with a huge smile after chalking up a win against his former team. The Arizona Republic, 20 Jan. 2024 With only seven percent of the votes tallied in the Palmetto state, Phillips has only chalked up 1.2 percent of the vote. Victor Hagan, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Coach Orlando Watkins didn’t chalk up the sloppy performance against a sub-.500 team to an emotional letdown following such a big victory. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2024 Many have chalked up Prime’s ads rollout to corporate greed. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 Virgin Galactic's winged rocketplane carried a two-man crew and four passengers to the edge of space and back Friday, chalking up the company's 11th sub-orbital spaceflight and its sixth commercial mission. William Harwood, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chalk up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of chalk up was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near chalk up

Cite this Entry

“Chalk up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chalk%20up. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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