Stack Up – Meaning and Examples
Imagine comparing two job offers side-by-side to see which one is better, or hearing a story and wondering if the details make sense. When you compare one thing with another, or when facts fit together consistently, you use the phrasal verb stack up. This verb has key meanings related to comparison and consistency.
What Does “Stack Up” Mean?
The phrasal verb “stack up” has two main figurative meanings:
- To compare favorably or unfavorably with another entity. (E.g., “How does this year’s model stack up against last year’s?”)
- To be consistent, believable, or logical (usually used in the negative). (E.g., “His story doesn’t stack up.”)
The literal meaning refers to piling objects on top of one another, but the figurative uses are far more common.
When to Use It
You can use stack up in professional, academic, or informal discussions involving comparison or verification.
- Comparison: We need to see how our profit margins stack up against those of our main competitors.
- Consistency/Believability: The witness’s account of the event didn’t stack up when cross-referenced with the video evidence.
- Performance: Does the new employee’s productivity stack up to the required company standards?
This phrase is informal and effective for analytical contexts.
Example Sentences
- The new smartphone model just doesn’t stack up to the high quality of the previous version.
- When we checked the dates, her alibi simply did not stack up.
- Before investing, you must analyze how the potential returns stack up against the risks.
- After all the evidence was gathered, the prosecutor felt the case had enough material to stack up.
Mini Dialogue
Alex: “Should we switch suppliers for the raw materials?”
Jamie: “Let’s compare the two samples first and see how the new one stacks up in quality.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not use “stack up” when talking about simple quantity accumulation without comparison or consistency testing.
❌ Don’t: “The tasks stack up on my desk.” (This is correct literally, but not the figurative idiom. Use “piled up.”)
✅ Do: “His excuses didn’t stack up, so we knew he was lying.” (This means the excuses were inconsistent/not believable.)
Practice Tip
Think of a difficult task you completed recently. Write one sentence describing how your finished work stacked up against your initial expectations.
Final Note
Using stack up is a versatile way to discuss both comparison and logical consistency. Practice using it in both positive (comparison) and negative (consistency) contexts!
