stack up

verb

stacked up; stacking up; stacks up

intransitive verb

1

: to add up : total

2

: measure up, compare

—usually used with against

Synonyms

• 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

Here's how Third Federal Savings and Loan stacks up against two major players in the home equity space. —Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025

This guide compares the top cable internet providers, highlights their key features, and explains how cable stacks up against other internet types for American consumers. —Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025

Here’s how Mote SEA ticket and membership prices stack up against others in the region. —Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025

Use your self-cleaning setting regularly to prevent messes from stacking up and getting out of control. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 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