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

Synonyms

• attribute
• ascribe

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

Since then, The Lumineers have chalked up more than 6 billion streams across five albums, scored two Grammy nominations, earned five Billboard Music Award nods, and picked up an American Music Award nomination. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 11 Aug. 2025

Much of Gen Z’s confusion may chalk up to simply being the newest in the office, with many having started their careers from their couch. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 July 2025

The Duchess of Sussex has now chalked up two podcasts: Archetypes, about sexist slurs, and Confessions of a Female Founder, which featured interviews about prominent women who run companies. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025

The bit was mostly chalked up to a PR stunt, in line with the hokey tone of The Naked Gun. —Sam Reed, Glamour, 30 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for chalk up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup