stack up

verb

stacked up; stacking up; stacks up

intransitive verb

1
: to add up : total
2
: measure up, compare
usually used with against

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Every day thousands of shoes are delivered and added to the piles of piles of merchandise, boxes, and bags that stack up to the facility’s ceiling. Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025 In Season 4, the challenges don’t quite stack up, and there’s a reluctance on the creators’ part to really sink their teeth into the whirlwind of producing late-night TV. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025 There were a few times Hall couldn’t get to the meter, and parking tickets stacked up. Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2025 Other plotlines stacked up the possibility of immense tragedy, only to pull back at the last minute. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stack up

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stack up was in 1896

Cite this Entry

“Stack up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stack%20up. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

stack up

verb
: measure up sense 2, compare
see how you stack up against the champion
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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