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]
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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.
How does the top of the Dodgers’ lineup — Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman — stack up against Team USA’s lineup from the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
"It didn't quite stack up at all," Follows said.
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, the cases stack up, among them the minor and the tragic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
Here’s how the Truth Social defense and energy ETFs stack up to well-established competitors, according to Ullal’s analysis.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 2, 2026
When he saw me, he lowered the tin so I could step onto it, and I rode the stack up and onto the trailer.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
