stack them up

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To arrange several things in a neat pile, one on top of another.

   Grammar: The pronoun "them" goes between the verb and "up": stack them up, not stack up them.

   Patterns

   • stack them up
   • stack something up

   Please stack them up neatly by the door before the guests arrive.

   The chairs are in the hall; just stack them up against the wall.

   He stacked the boxes up until they almost touched the ceiling.

2. 2verbintransitive

   To increase in number or amount until a large total builds up.

   Grammar: Often used of bills, tasks, or problems that accumulate over time.

   Patterns

   • stack up
   • keep stacking up

   If you ignore the bills, they will just stack them up month after month.

   The dirty dishes stacked up while everyone was away.

Common combinations

stack them up neatly

Stack them up neatly so the shelf stays tidy.

stack them up against the wall

We stacked them up against the wall to clear the floor.

stack up the chairs

After the meeting, please stack up the chairs.

stack up on top of each other

The crates were stacked up on top of each other.

Synonyms and how they differ

pile them up

Very similar, but "pile" suggests a less orderly heap than "stack".

heap them up

Suggests a messy mound rather than a neat vertical arrangement.

accumulate

More formal and used for amounts growing over time, not for physically arranging objects.

Opposites

Word family

stack noun

A neat pile of things.

stacked adjective

Arranged in a pile, as in "stacked boxes".

stacking noun

The activity of arranging things in piles.

Commonly confused: stack them up or stock them up? stack them up or stick them up?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “stack them up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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