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 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
Here’s a look at how some of the premium plastics stack up against each other:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Since then the complaints, and violations, have continued to stack up, just as a summer heat wave settled over the region.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
And how does that stack up against how much you are earning?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
A lady who worked there and knew my dad would stack up soda crates so I could sit down while I ate hot dogs and drank my soda.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
