stack up
Idioms-
Measure up, equal, as in Their gift doesn't stack up against mine . This usage alludes to piling up one's chips at poker, and comparing them to those of the other players. [Early 1900s]
-
Make sense, seem plausible, as in Her explanation just doesn't stack up . Also see add up , def. 2.
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.
The number of storylines begin to stack up by the second, but it’s no one’s job to remember them all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
As we’ll see, it’s a story including a Nobel Prize winner, a book and some claims that don’t quite stack up.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
The club trophies are beginning to stack up already for the fast, direct, skilful winger who loves to run at an opponent and dribble past them.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
And how does that stack up against how much you are earning?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
In her palm, I stack up gauze drawn from the basket under the sink.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
