step-up
adjective
effecting an increase.
step-up
American
[step-uhp]
/ ˈstɛpˌʌp /
Or
stepup
adjective
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effecting an increase.
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Electricity. serving to increase voltage.
a step-up transformer.
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(of a lease) allowing for gradual rent increases to the highest amount permissible.
noun
-
step-ups
plural
step up
British
verb
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(tr) to increase or raise by stages; accelerate
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(intr) to make progress or effect an advancement; be promoted
-
-
baseball to move into batting position
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to come forward and take responsibility for something
-
adjective
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(of a transformer) increasing a low voltage applied to the primary winding to a higher voltage on the secondary winding Compare step down
-
informal involving a rise by stages
noun
step up
Idioms
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Increase, especially in stages, as in We've got to step up production . [Early 1900s] Also see step down , def. 2.
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Come forward, as in Step up to the podium, folks, and I'll show you how it works . [Mid-1600s]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of step-up
First recorded in 1890–95; adj., noun use of verb phrase step up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rigg, who can operate as a defensive or attacking central midfielder, then made the step-up impressively, starting 11 Premier League matches, with a further seven appearances from the bench.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
He pointed to a possible “material step-up in pricing” for the chips, as average sales prices could reach the range of $3,000 to $5,000, compared with about $1,500 in the first quarter of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The Army modified its contract with Lockheed Martin to step-up production; the final cost will depend on congressional funding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
In most inheritances, however, step-up in basis is actually the default, not the exception.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
The current is derived directly from the engine, and the remaining things needed are a small step-up transformer, a key and a few other small parts.
From Tom Swift and His Wireless Message: or, the castaways of Earthquake island by Victor [pseud.] Appleton
He’s well aware that philanthropy wouldn’t cover such a step up, which is why he believes the project could one day be funded by the federal government.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
While energy bills are likely to take a step up in October, the current forecast suggests they will be the best part of £1,000 less than the peak reached after the Ukraine war began.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
If your manager is the one demanding you step up and take on more work, you could and should leverage this to get a raise.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
“We played with Kilian last year, but we’ve got guys that’ll step up and can do it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Henek, the youngest, who had no time for me, and Max, the next step up from Izio, who had already started an apprenticeship and smiled more often than he talked.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
“We expect significant step-ups in paid subscription adoption given increasingly robust tools behind a pay wall.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Bryant said there are hundreds of exercises you can do on a playground, from step-ups to tricep dips.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
The signs point to several short-term factors coming together all at once — trade logjams, a surge in post-pandemic demand for goods, limited step-ups in oil production, labor demands for a living wage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2021
To increase the intensity, he suggests performing lunges or step-ups with weights or a backpack.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2021
Clean and snatch was out of the question because of my back and squats because of my knee, so I got the pleasure of doing step-ups.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 26, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
