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

Even if those traits have been on display for years and Antetokounmpo has stacked up great performances for over a decade, Turner believes people need to take time to appreciate his consistent excellence. —Eric Nehm, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025

There’s a lot of introspection in legacy media about how to make the numbers stack up as the world of entertainment changes. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025

But as the shutdown has dragged on and unpaid charges stacked up, Hughes and the hospital system switched course. —Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025

Competitor analysis tools can show you how your brand stacks up compared to your rivals. —K.h. Koehler, jsonline.com, 6 Nov. 2025

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