measure up
Britishverb
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(adverb) to determine the size of (something) by measurement
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to fulfil (expectations, standards, etc)
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Be the equal of, as in Is he a good enough actor to measure up to the other members of the cast? [Early 1900s]
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Have the qualifications for, be of high enough quality for, as in His latest book hasn't measured up to the reviewers' expectations . [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But it is possible to look at the general trend and how the nations measure up to their own targets.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
The fragments vary widely in size, from less than 1 gram to 85.4 grams, and can measure up to 5 centimeters along their longest dimension.
From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026
“How do you measure up to that? Where are the gaps?”
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
I’m not sure how well I measure up, but I do keep a tight, ring-free dining room station and catch a glimmer of my father whenever I set down my glass.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
In the silences between jokes about Leper’s glories we wondered whether we ourselves would measure up to the humblest minimum standard of the army.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
