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

In Season 4, the challenges don’t quite stack up, and there’s a reluctance on the creators’ part to really sink their teeth into the whirlwind of producing late-night TV. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026

All in the name of stacking up losses in pursuit of a better chance at landing a franchise-changing draft pick that will lead to a top prospect such as AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026

At a glance, Meta said in a blog post that Muse Spark stacks up well against the leading frontier models. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026

Now, with injuries stacking up, the rotation has turned into a proving ground for the next tier. —C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 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