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 of chalk up

• 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

In an interview with The Desk, Roku chalked up the increase to RAM supply issues caused by the AI boom, which is currently driving up prices across consumer electronics, from consoles to smartphones to PCs. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 25 July 2026

This can’t be chalked up to a small sample or a rounding error. — Sam Blum, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Jason Altmire, the head of the group, Career Education Colleges and Universities, said some of it can be chalked up to the pandemic. — Nicky Forster, Fortune, 20 July 2026

The show’s only performance nominee this year ended up being Connor Storrie, a nomination that can easily be chalked up to his notoriety for Heated Rivalry and to make up for Heated Rivalry being ineligible overall. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 July 2026

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