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

Small wins will steadily stack up! —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026

The Bay Area really lucked out with the weather across the region this weekend, but how does this year stack up to past Super Bowls? —Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026

Henderson sent a video to Jack Jolie, rooting for the bubbly youngster to overcome all the obstacles stacked up against him. —Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026

But there’s a considerable mountain of evidence stacking up against her. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 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