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

Rothera’s World Cup performance offered a promising look at how the exchange might stack up with OG long term. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2026

The bad years are stacking up and outnumbering the good, Holm said. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

More renters are investing in long-term personalization Three forces are stacking up. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2026

Yet the chances of that happening surely increase if the numbers stack up, broadening a club’s options. — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026

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