stack up

verb

stacked up; stacking up; stacks up

intransitive verb

1

: to add up

Cars were beginning to stack up behind the bus.

2

: to be in a particular state or situation

Here's how things stack up today.

3

: measure up, compare

—usually used with against

How does he stack up against the other job candidates?

Synonyms of stack up

• compare (with)
• measure up (to)

Examples of stack up in a Sentence

those newspapers have been stacking up in the basement since we moved here

Recent Examples on the Web

As the miles stack up and the rules tighten (three warnings, then you’re shot), Jonsson charts the slow erosion of bravado into something far more fragile. —Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 30 Dec. 2025

Member's Mark Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets are consistently given top stars for the ability to freshen clothes—and stack up to competitors for a smaller price tag. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 29 Dec. 2025

Among indigenous Igorot groups, especially the Kankanaey, wooden coffins were placed on cliff faces or inside elevated caves, often just a few feet above ground and sometimes stacked up over generations. —New Atlas, 27 Dec. 2025

But experts warn the alliance’s plans don’t stack up. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stack up

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

Kids Definition

stack up

verb

: measure up sense 2, compare

see how you stack up against the champion