stack up

verb

stacked up; stacking up; stacks up

intransitive verb

1

: to add up : total

2

: measure up, compare

—usually used with against

Synonyms

• approach
• approximate
• 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

Here's how Navy Federal stacks up to two leading mortgage providers. —Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2025

Image How Trump’s inauguration stacks up The inauguration of Donald Trump as president will be a pricey and star-studded affair. —Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025

The beginning of their conference slate has some games to watch (circle the matchup against fellow undefeated program Maryland on Jan. 23), but how Ohio State truly stacks up against this year’s elite competition will become more apparent down the stretch. —Ben Pickman, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

Flight cancellations and delays are stacking up as a major winter storm makes its way across the East Coast. —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stack up

verb

: measure up sense 2, compare

see how you stack up against the champion