step-up
adjective
effecting an increase.
step-up
American
[step-uhp]
/ ˈstɛpˌʌp /
Or
stepup
adjective
-
effecting an increase.
-
Electricity. serving to increase voltage.
a step-up transformer.
-
(of a lease) allowing for gradual rent increases to the highest amount permissible.
noun
-
step-ups
plural
step up
British
verb
-
(tr) to increase or raise by stages; accelerate
-
(intr) to make progress or effect an advancement; be promoted
-
-
baseball to move into batting position
-
to come forward and take responsibility for something
-
adjective
-
(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
-
Increase, especially in stages, as in We've got to step up production . [Early 1900s] Also see step down , def. 2.
-
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:
Sellner knows he’s losing a step-up, but says, “The children could use a little more now. Why should they wait 20 years to get it?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
He wants to make sure the younger spouse gets a proper step-up in basis and pays less in capital-gains taxes on property and equity holdings.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
There's plenty of scope for Indian farmers to step-up production.
From BBC ● Sep. 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
Oh, no," Cecile said, "we can expect no step-up in this world by the aid of any interested relative.
From The Corner House Girls Growing Up What Happened First, What Came Next. And How It Ended by Grace Brooks Hill
Whether it will arouse the consciences of enough to truly step up and stop this breach of trust is unknown.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
"But at some point the market doesn't step up and they falter. Some really good ones have lasted the course, but others have not and it's sad."
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
"We've reached a point where we obviously need companies in the industry to step up and do more to address AI safety issues," Smith said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
That would be a significant step up from the $130 billion to $145 billion in capex that Meta projects for 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Why can’t they just step up to their responsibilities? Haven’t we been put through enough?”
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
This can include lifting weights such as dumbbells, using gym machines or resistance bands, or using your own body weight in exercises such as squats, step-ups or press-ups.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
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
Circuits might include running up stairs with weights on her back, box jumps, push-ups, pull-ups, dead lifts and step-ups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2016
Raul Ibanez pauses from one-legged step-ups on to a raised exercise platform, glances around his home gymnasium and picks up a plastic yellow stick.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 29, 2014
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
