Meanings
present singular third person measures up · participle present measuring up · participle past measured up · past measured up
- idiomaticTo meet expectations; to be as good as.
It's a passable substitute, but it will never measure up to the original.
1 more example
Fifty years after the fair I drink from a different cup, but it does no good to compare 'cause nothing ever measures up.
1993, “Fifty Years After the Fair”, in Whatever, performed by Aimee Mann
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
German gleichkommen, auf der Höhe sein
- gleichkommenTo meet expectations; to be as good as
- auf der Höhe seinTo meet expectations; to be as good as
Hungarian megfelel
- megfelelTo meet expectations; to be as good as
Italian essere all'altezza
- essere all'altezzaTo meet expectations; to be as good as
Polish mierzyć siły na zamiary
- mierzyć siły na zamiaryTo meet expectations; to be as good as
Romanian fi la înălțimea
- fi la înălțimeaTo meet expectations; to be as good as
Russian соотве́тствовать, удовлетворя́ть
- соотве́тствовать (sootvétstvovatʹ)To meet expectations; to be as good as
- удовлетворя́ть (udovletvorjátʹ)To meet expectations; to be as good as
Spanish dar la talla, estar a la altura
- dar la tallaTo meet expectations; to be as good as
- estar a la alturaTo meet expectations; to be as good as
- competir conTo meet expectations; to be as good as
Cite this entry
measure up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/measure%20up
“measure up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/measure%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “measure up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/measure%20up.
Source: measure up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.