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.
For context, that stacks up to players such as Rasmus Dahlin and Luke Hughes. Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 10 July 2025 Lutz from a percentage standpoint stacks up well from 50-plus with Elam (60.6%), Prater (77.7%) and McManus (55.5%) though each of those guys obviously had many more years kicking for Denver than Lutz. Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 July 2025 However, something in Julia’s telling doesn’t stack up, either. Tom Smyth, Vulture, 3 July 2025 Read more about Bruner here. UK basketball: How does Mark Pope's debut stack up versus others? Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 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 13 Jul. 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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