as in intensified
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
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Recent Examples of stepped up
Some women have stepped up to revive them.
—
JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2025
Moody was playing his first game for the Bears after being cut by the San Francisco 49ers last month, but stepped up as time expired to hand Chicago a third-straight win under first-year coach Ben Johnson.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
At which point, John Glenn, moved by the statement, stepped up to Chief Zarco and firmly shook his hand.
—Kit Bernardi, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Cruz and Lombard rank alongside Wilson as MVP-like impact players, though everyone has stepped up.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Daniels stepped up to the right to avoid pressure from outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu and found Samuel sitting in a soft spot in the Chargers’ zone.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Security is being stepped up at Jewish sites across the country.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
According to sources, the studio stepped up with a 7-figure purchase price and additional million dollars in script/development fees, making this one of the biggest IP sales of the year, especially for an unpublished short story.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Earlier this year, the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, stepped up immigration enforcement, deploying police officers to dozens of maternity wards in the country.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2025
Moody was playing his first game for the Bears after being cut by the San Francisco 49ers last month, but stepped up as time expired to hand Chicago a third-straight win under first-year coach Ben Johnson.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
At which point, John Glenn, moved by the statement, stepped up to Chief Zarco and firmly shook his hand.
—Kit Bernardi, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Cruz and Lombard rank alongside Wilson as MVP-like impact players, though everyone has stepped up.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Daniels stepped up to the right to avoid pressure from outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu and found Samuel sitting in a soft spot in the Chargers’ zone.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Security is being stepped up at Jewish sites across the country.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
According to sources, the studio stepped up with a 7-figure purchase price and additional million dollars in script/development fees, making this one of the biggest IP sales of the year, especially for an unpublished short story.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Earlier this year, the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, stepped up immigration enforcement, deploying police officers to dozens of maternity wards in the country.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepped up
Verb
-
Three hurricanes—Erin, Gabrielle, and Humberto—intensified to at least Category 4 at their peak, with both Erin and Humberto reaching Category 5 intensity, though all of them did so over the Atlantic rather than on land.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The very strongest moments of DMV, CBS’ brand-new single-cam, tap into that sense of stuck-ness, intensified by clocking in each day to that most purgatorial of government institutions.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Cordelia Tuan, 32, of Detroit, who spoke outside of the Central Station, also raised concern with the shutdown and the ending of Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies being fought over amid it.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Using porous graphite felt and enhanced heat transfer, gas released from the resin escapes while a vacuum system removes it, allowing crowns to survive the process without cracking.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The investigation engaged her whole body, heightened her senses.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
-
If convicted, James faces a maximum of 30 years in prison on each count and a fine of up to $1 million — penalties heightened by Congress during the 1990s savings and loan crisis.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Over the past few years, Lego has worked on expanding its customer base and deepened its strategy to achieve a streak of positive annual growth.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
-
As the spring went on, the confusion deepened.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Cooperation frameworks such as the Negev Forum, I2U2, and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) have strengthened dialogue and trust.—
Yossi Shelley,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Like Cook, Andrews did not receive a waiver to ethics rules that Hogsett strengthened in his first term.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, secretive and unregulated practices by PBMs, which are heavily consolidated, have led to a chorus of drug manufacturers, pharmacists, and government regulators calling for more oversight.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
11 Oct. 2025
-
All spending was re-evaluated, vendor contracts renegotiated, staffing reduced and space consolidated to save maintenance costs.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepped up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepped%20up. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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