stack up

verb

stacked up; stacking up; stacks up

intransitive verb

1
: to add up : total
2
: measure up, compare
usually used with against

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If it's been done elsewhere, Giacalone questioned where that was, what happened and how that city's population stacked up against the Big Apple's. Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2025 But plenty of Apple-curious shoppers want to know how the new MacBook Pro stacks up to the current crop of Windows machines. PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025 How teams stack up in the race for automatic bids, first-round byes and staying on the right side of the bubble. Austin Mock, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025 The pastel buildings stacked up those hills, fado music spilling out of tiny bars at night, people who actually seem happy to help when you’re lost, were my beautiful introduction. Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stack up

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stack up was in 1896

Cite this Entry

“Stack up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stack%20up. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

stack up

verb
: measure up sense 2, compare
see how you stack up against the champion
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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