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step up

verb, adj, noun — 6 senses

step up

verbalso spelled step-up
1

Idiomatic To increase, augment, or advance, especially by one or more steps.

  • Near-synonym: level up
  • They will need to step up production if they are going to compete.
3 more examples
  • Step up your shower game!
  • As in the whole country, cadres and poor and lower-middle peasants in our Taning County, inspired by the spirit of the National Conference on Learning From Tachai in Agriculture, were greatly stimulated and high in spirits and resolved to fight hard in the movement of learning from Tachai in agriculture and building Tachai-type counties everywhere. In the face of the excellent situation, the anti-party clique of the "gang of four,"--Wang, Chang, Chiang and Yao--stepped up their antiparty activities and strengthend their attacks on the party.1976 November 5 [1976 November 2], “The 'Gang of Four' Sabotaged the Campaign to Learn From Tachai in Agriculture in a Vain Attempt to Restore Capitalism”, in Daily Report: People's Republic of China, volume I, number 215, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Taiyuan Shansi Provincial Service, translation of original by Taning County CCP Committee (in Mandarin), →ISSN, →OCLC, page K 4:
  • United were made to pay for letting an eight-point lead as little as five weeks ago slip and, despite their final-day efforts, they will look back on a season where, when they needed to step up, they fell flat.2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:

step-up

adj

Etymology Deverbal from step up.

1

Of a transformer etc That increases a voltage.

  • a step-up transformer

step-up

noun

Etymology Deverbal from step up.

1

Exercise, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A workout movement wherein one leg stands on an elevated surface and lifts in the concentric part the rest of the body up onto it to target – depending on angle and starting distance of the other leg and weights applied by the arms – the femoral and gluteal muscles variously.

2

An increase.

  • Elsewhere in this issue, for example, an article on the new pattern of freight train operation in the N.E.R. consequent upon the opening this summer of its three mechanised marshalling yards shows that one effect will be a further step-up in the speed of the East Coast main line freight traffic.1963 July, “News and Comment: Roller bearings for freight stock”, in Modern Railways, pages 5–6:
3

Economics, Government, Sciences, Taxation US, Especially A phenomenon whereby the growth in market value of an asset or investment is not taxed under certain circumstances, generally involving buying and holding until the buyer's death, followed by inheritance.

  • a step-up in basis
  • on a step-up basis

step up

verb

Etymology Ellipsis of step up to the plate (“take one's turn at bat, take responsibility”).

1

Idiomatic To assume or take responsibility.

  • Won't anyone step up to the challenge?
  • The Gunners continued to press after the break but it was Leeds who broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. There was no doubt about the penalty either, with Denilson clumsily fouling Gradel and Snodgrass stepping up to find the bottom corner of the net.2011 January 8, Chris Bevan, “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds”, in BBC:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for step up and step-up.