stack up
The phrase 'stack up' is versatile, used in contexts ranging from accumulation and comparison to logical consistency and tactical formations.
Definition
B1General
(common)To arrange items into a pile or stack.
Example
- Please stack up the books on the table.
B1General
(common)To accumulate or increase in quantity over time.
Example
- The dishes are starting to stack up in the sink.
B2Comparison
(idiomatic)To compare or measure against something or someone.
Example
- How does this year's budget stack up against last year's?
B2Logical Consistency
(informal)To make sense or be logical when considered.
Example
- His explanation just doesn't stack up.
C1Military or Law Enforcement
(technical)To form a tactical lineup before entering a room.
Example
- The team stacked up outside the door before the raid.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "stack up":
stack rankheap upstack rankingpile uppile onstacks on the millrack upshort stackbuild upstock upspeed stackline uplayer updeep stackjam uppiling ontechnology stackadd upload upstick upstand insquare upstand onblock upstay upstep upstand upstop uptower overpyramid upput uprun upbung updouble upchalk up