as in intensifying
to make markedly greater in measure or degree
candidates stepping up their campaigns as election day draws near stepped up the pace to catch up with the others
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stepping up
The world’s two most populous countries are stepping up regulation of delivery platforms in a bid to curb damaging competitive practices.
—
J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Now, the president is stepping up immigration enforcement.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Bennett has shown the knack for stepping up on the biggest stages.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Jan. 2026
Jose goes above and beyond to support others, whether by mentoring younger students, volunteering in school activities, or stepping up to help classmates in need.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Before stepping up to assistant chief, Hennie was the captain of the Central Business Section, which includes Downtown and Mount Adams.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
With Netflix stepping up to the third-quarter earnings plate after the market close on Tuesday, Kpop characters Rumi, Mira and Zoey are expected to be MVPs.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2025
At the time, Saunders praised Kelce for stepping up during the big moment.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Thanks to agents stepping up, the truth is coming out.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Now, the president is stepping up immigration enforcement.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Bennett has shown the knack for stepping up on the biggest stages.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Jan. 2026
Jose goes above and beyond to support others, whether by mentoring younger students, volunteering in school activities, or stepping up to help classmates in need.
—Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Before stepping up to assistant chief, Hennie was the captain of the Central Business Section, which includes Downtown and Mount Adams.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
With Netflix stepping up to the third-quarter earnings plate after the market close on Tuesday, Kpop characters Rumi, Mira and Zoey are expected to be MVPs.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2025
At the time, Saunders praised Kelce for stepping up during the big moment.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Thanks to agents stepping up, the truth is coming out.
—Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping up
Verb
-
This causes the outer layers of the star to expand and cool, evolving into a red giant, while the interior of the core heats up, intensifying the rate of fusion within it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Frydnes acknowledged that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to individuals facing persecution can carry risks, potentially intensifying pressure against them.—
Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Moving forward, Sourisse sees the business deepening its roots in Asia, citing Southeast Asia’s Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, and East Asia’s China, Japan and South Korea as markets to watch.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
As a catalyst, the analyst wrote that SoFi is building a durable, multi-year compounding business by deepening primary customer relationships that drive higher lifetime value, lower acquisition costs and broader cross-selling.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These systems optimize contrast, brightness, and color with machine learning algorithms that adjust to scene content and ambient light, significantly enhancing viewing quality without manual calibration.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
-
With plans for major renovations to Robb Field and Dusty Rhodes Park already approved by the city, the emphasis this time was on enhancing smaller parks that primarily serve local residents.—
Steven Mihailovich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On Monday, around 100 community members rallied in downtown San Jose to protest the possibility of ICE agents heightening their anti-immigration campaign during the big game.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The intuitive Moon moves through your 9th House of Travel, heightening the longing to explore ideas that restore hope and widen your world.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The collaboration between Fincantieri and Generative Bionics also holds strategic importance in strengthening European technological sovereignty by drawing on expertise developed across research institutions and the advanced industrial supply chain.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The audit also recommends the city aim to boost the value of its golf properties by strengthening its evaluations of course operators, studying revenue trends, inspecting courses more frequently and requiring operators to pay for renovations.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stepping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20up. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
