Meanings
present singular third person chalks up · participle present chalking up · participle past chalked up · past chalked up
- transitiveTo achieve something.
to chalk up a victory
1 more example
2012 The Economist, Sep 29th 2012 issue, Rural activism: Working the system In recent years Mr Li, a divorced farmer with a laptop and internet access, has chalked up some stunning successes in resisting his village officials.
- USslangTo attribute to something, often tangentially.
I know we lost, but can we chalk it up as a win?
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Refers to recording information on a blackboard with chalk.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French décrocher, remporter
- décrocherto achieve something
- remporterto achieve something
- multiplierto achieve something
- totaliserto achieve something
- engrangerto achieve something
- enregistrerto achieve something
Italian inanellare, collezionare
- inanellareto achieve something
- collezionareto achieve something
- infilareto achieve something
Polish osiągać, osiągnąć
- osiągaćto achieve something
- osiągnąćto achieve something
- przypisywaćto attribute to something
- przypisaćto attribute to something
Russian записа́ть на свой счёт
- записа́ть на свой счёт (zapisátʹ na svoj sčot)to achieve something
Cite this entry
chalk up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chalk%20up
“chalk up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chalk%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chalk up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chalk%20up.
Source: chalk up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.