racking up

Definition of racking upnext
present participle of rack up
1
as in scoring
to gain (as points or runs in a game) as credit towards one's total number of points having racked up a huge number of points in the short program, the figure skater would have to have a disastrous long program in order to miss out on a medal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of racking up Over the next decade or so, many of these trees will be coming down — landing across roads, snapping power lines, crushing cars and demolishing roofs, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars in insured claims. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026 The North Carolina human resources executive spent two months racking up credits through web tutorials after work in 2024, then raced through 11 online classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in four weeks. Todd Wallack, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2026 Legislators understand that the way to increase affordability is to shine a light on the ways in which those companies have been racking up record profits while government regulators are left in the dark. Allysson Bornt, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 Meanwhile, Operation Sideswipe kept expanding and racking up prosecutorial victories, building off the work of private-sector investigators and lawyers for the trucking companies. Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award for the best receiver in college football this past season for a reason, after racking up 1,156 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026 After burning through their savings, the entrepreneurs turned to credit cards, racking up $100,000 in debt each. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026 And Swalwell had been racking up lots of endorsements. Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026 And, in a perfectly fitting twist, UConn can cement that status by overcoming a Michigan powerhouse that is racking up historically impressive numbers, hoping to go down as one of the sport's greatest teams itself. CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racking up
Verb
  • Wagner led the team at the halfway mark with 17 points, scoring 10 points in the paint before the break.
    Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Where the Stars are scoring more than efficiently is on the power play.
    Michael Russo, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • What went into achieving that brilliant energy between you and Mitchell, behind the scenes?
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Sacking him is an embarrassment for all concerned, but 106 days after his appointment, Chelsea’s executives felt a change was needed to give the club the best possible chance of achieving their remaining aims for the season.
    Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Aspen Wooten, a talented tennis prodigy who moved from Memphis to Lake Nona with her family as a ninth grader, had accomplished just about everything available in her four-year high school career — including winning more than 100 matches.
    Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Schindler also put down the winning kill in both games for the Knights (16-5, 1-1).
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Presenting decent, competitive teams with the prospect of attaining the best lottery odds will only further encourage those in the middle of the standings to hold a fire sale at the trade deadline to try to drop down.
    Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 17 Apr. 2026
  • The first season ended on a final note, and became wildly popular upon its 2023 release, attaining the coveted top spot on the streaming viewership rankings and winning eight Emmys.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Broadnax's case is gaining national attention for what his attorneys say was an unfair trial that saw prosecutors eliminate almost every potential Black juror and use Broadnax's own rap lyrics against him.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
  • For one, Palestine by Joe Sacco, which found its way onto academic syllabi before gaining steam as a collected volume of graphic reporting.
    Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Moon in Scorpio harmonizes with Jupiter through your 5th House of Creativity, making connection feel more natural, playful, and easy to enjoy.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
  • These questions have been haunting Hong Kong for over forty years, about as long as Pau has been making art.
    Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Racking up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racking%20up. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

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