variants
or step ups
as in increases
something added (as by growth)
there's been a step-up in productivity since regular breaks were offered
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Recent Examples of step-ups
Squats aren’t the only way to build strong quads—moves like step-ups, lunges, and leg presses target them just as well.
—
Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 15 Apr. 2026
The exercise program involved two group exercise classes per week, including 30 minutes of intervals on an exercise bike, then 15 minutes of circuit training (step-ups, boxing, squats, kettlebells, and so on).
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Examples include air squats, step-ups, push-ups, and dips.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 8 Dec. 2025
Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 15 Apr. 2026
The exercise program involved two group exercise classes per week, including 30 minutes of intervals on an exercise bike, then 15 minutes of circuit training (step-ups, boxing, squats, kettlebells, and so on).
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Examples include air squats, step-ups, push-ups, and dips.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for step-ups
Noun
-
Subsequent modeling studies found that the change will mean more infections, increases in liver cancers and deaths, as well as millions of dollars in healthcare costs.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
-
Chance of lightning increases as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is overhead.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The pair are the latest new additions to the second season of the FX series, alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Betty Gilpin, and Austin Amelio.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
Gasper is particularly thrilled about two newer additions to the club, veteran Willson Contreras and Carlos Narváez, who’s in his sophomore season.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
But that still left funding for some sizable boosts.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Using stacks of hundreds to thousands of photos taken with his camera or telescope, McCarthy produces true-color images of the moon's near side, accentuated with saturation boosts that reveal brilliant shades of blue, red, green and brown that your eyes can't normally detect.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Producer prices growth in April outpaced consumer price gains for the first time since July 2022, with OCBC's Xie suggesting companies will absorb a large part of the commodity shock rather than pass it fully to consumers.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Finally, on May 8th, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the state’s redistricting referendum, reducing the Democrats’ potential gains from ten seats to six.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step-ups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-ups. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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