Meaning & use
chalked up
Last updated
“chalked up” is a form of “chalk up”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbphrasal verbinformal
Achieved or scored something, especially a win, a point or a total, and counted it as a success.
Grammar: Takes an object between or after the particle: they chalked up another win.
Patterns
- chalk up something
- chalk something up
The team chalked up its fifth win in a row.
She chalked up ten years of service at the company.
The striker chalked up two goals before halftime.
verbphrasal verbinformal
Explained something as the result of a particular cause, often a minor or excusing one.
Grammar: Used with to: chalked it up to nerves.
Patterns
- chalk something up to something
He chalked up his bad test score to a lack of sleep.
I chalked the delay up to heavy traffic.
Don't chalk it up to luck; she worked hard.
verbphrasal verbold-fashioned
Wrote a record of a score or amount, originally with chalk on a board.
Grammar: A literal use: chalked up the scores on the board.
Patterns
- chalk something up on something
The barman chalked up the round on the board.
She chalked up the points for each team.
He chalked up the day's prices outside the shop.
Word forms
| base form | chalk up |
|---|---|
| third person singular | chalks up |
| past tense | chalked up |
| past participle | chalked up |
| -ing form | chalking up |
Common combinations
- chalked up a win
- The club chalked up a win against its rivals.
- chalked up victories
- The team chalked up three victories in a week.
- chalked up to experience
- She chalked the mistake up to experience.
- chalked up to nerves
- He chalked the shaky speech up to nerves.
- chalked up points
- They chalked up thirty points in the first half.
Synonyms and how they differ
- racked up
- Racked up suggests quickly piling up a large number, while chalked up is more neutral and often used for wins or points.
- notched up
- Notched up is very similar for achievements and is common in British English.
- attributed
- Attributed is more formal and means credited a cause to something, while chalked up to is casual.
- scored
- Scored is limited to points or goals, but chalked up can also describe wins or years of service.
Word family
- chalk noun
- a soft white rock or stick used for writing
- chalky adjective
- containing or looking like chalk
- chalkboard noun
- a dark board for writing with chalk
- chalk up verb
- the base phrasal verb
Commonly confused: chalked up or chalk it up?
chalked up vs chalk it up
People sometimes write chalked it up to mean the same as chalk up, which is correct; avoid writing chalked-up as an adjective.
Practice
The coach ___ the loss to a lack of practice.
Choose one answer.
Chalked up ... to means explained the loss as caused by something. The other particles do not form a phrasal verb with this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chalked up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.