to rack up
54
3.6
- phrasal verb
- /ræk ʌp/
- Informal
:
acumular
- The last president managed to rack up six trillion in national debt in two terms.
- rack up hours
There had been massive debt racked up by the government.
- There had been massive debt racked up by the government.
- What I'm telling you, however, is and you racking up more debt.
- But if you don't go out and rack up the score, they don't take you seriously.
- That means I would say purchase a house as quickly as you can and do not rack up debt, credit card debt.
- And it's similar if you're blocking somebody's punches, you're blocked, you're stopping him from racking up points.
- And the credit card debt part, that is really interesting, the idea that if you can't say no to spending, so you've racked up a bunch of credit card debt.
- But he's had a record like no one else, just racking up the awards.
Examples
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Al Collins racks up another win this time at the expense of East St. John.
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In the typical game, students rack up points for zooming through the game and getting right answers.
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Anyone can rack up numbers.
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But teenagers now rack up 40 points.
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Your son racked up a lot of charges on my account.
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The high-scoring nature of the game should allow Luck to rack up huge fantasy numbers.
Blog text (3) -
But he's had a record like no one else, just racking up the awards.
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We were on our way, racking up the frequent-flyer miles.
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There are ways to go to put yourself through college if that is the route you have to take without without racking up massive amounts of debt.
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The team managed to rack up five victories this season, securing a spot in the playoffs.
Synonyms
693
1.5
To get points or a grade in a contest
207
3.0
Increase slowly over time
22
3.7
Collect small amounts until they become a larger total
18
3.0
To count or add things like points and votes
7
4.0
Collect things over time until there is a large amount
6
4.6
To record points or a win in a game
1
4.7
Get a higher score, more sales or a win
1
6.6
To reach a total for things like miles, hours, or experience by doing something again and again
Antonyms
How Many
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to arrange/place into a rack' is directly derivable from 'rack' (to set or arrange items into a rack) combined with the particle 'up' signalling placement or completion. This verb+particle composition is a common, predictable pattern in English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Rack up may come from the image of putting things on a tall rack so they build a visible pile; as coins, points, or marks are added up, the total grows. So, to rack up came to mean 'to accumulate' or 'get many'.