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
-
(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:
Warner said the recent quarter included a $1.1 billion worth of pre-tax acquisition-related amortization of intangibles, content fair value step-up, and restructuring expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
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
Fifth Third Bancorp recorded a step-up in revenue and profit for the second quarter as the integration of its recent Comerica acquisition translated to major gains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The coming months should mark a meaningful step-up, with a flurry of high-profile mega-IPOs from SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic expected to raise tens of billions of dollars each.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
Barely touched 'em—current something less than a thousandth of a micro-ampere on a million to one step-up.
From Skylark Three by Hans Waldemar Wessolowski
Florian Wirtz is covering one of the central midfielders, Ethan Ampadu, but is looking to step up to apply pressure to the right centre-back.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
McDonald’s is working to upgrade its own menu, step up customer service and develop new store prototypes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“It means deciding to step up and act, even in the face of uncertainty.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
We've lost some good players so people need to step up.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Half an hour later, I step up to the mic and put the headphones over my ears.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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
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
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
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.
