1
as in attributing
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
let's chalk up her weird behavior to simple nervousness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in achieving
to obtain (as a goal) through effort
chalked up a record in singles tennis that is likely to stand for a long time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of chalking up
Others have watched more of the club’s other junior teams, including the under-21s, chalking up first-time stadium visits at Solihull Moors, Brackley Town or Tamworth in the National League Cup.
—
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chalking up
Verb
-
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and leading the country, an Iranian official said today, attributing his absence from public view to security concerns.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
-
For Koch, the surge of people attributing consciousness to their chatbots is no amusing matter.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That has kept most stars from achieving crossover appeal.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Churchgoers in the 2000s may remember a time when small groups met up for Ramsey’s Financial Peace University in hopes of achieving a debt-free life.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Wednesday’s verdict in Los Angeles on the ninth day of jury deliberations shows the difficulty of ascribing how much social media is to blame for youths suffering varying degrees of distress.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The actress is cautious in ascribing too much power to her position.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Frederiksen's Social Democrats received the most votes and were seen winning 38 seats in Denmark's 179-seat parliament, results published early Wednesday showed, compared with 50 seats four years earlier.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The Knicks have feasted on a soft part of their schedule, beating Indiana twice, Utah, Brooklyn and Washington during the winning streak, which came entirely against teams with losing records.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Liz Breadon, now the City Council president, added at the time that such a mistake could jeopardize an immigrant’s chances of attaining full citizenship.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Oakland’s leaders envision their town attaining similar big-city status.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But ideas to spur Idaho’s stagnant housing stock — namely through deregulation or preemption of local land use — are gaining steam as the session drags on.—
Mark Dee
March 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Synthetic embryo models, such as blastoids and gastruloids, which replicate key stages in mammalian embryogenesis in vitro, are slowly gaining traction as viable means of ex-vivo development.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The guard’s eyes widened when presented with the concept that the Bulls technically still had a shot at making the playoffs, at least for another game.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The Education Department's notices to borrowers beginning Friday will direct them to enroll in a plan and resume making payments as soon as this summer.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chalking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chalking%20up. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
