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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stepped up
The pass came better late than never after Mahomes stepped up in the pocket, and Rice hauled it in and took it the final 11 yards into the end zone.
—
Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
The search for hostage bodies stepped up over the past few days after the arrival of heavy machinery from Egypt.
—Maayan Lubell, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
The spokesman pointed to Spotify's new AI protections for artists and music producers, which includes stepped up enforcement of AI impersonators, like in this case.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
As temperatures drop in Ukraine, Russia has stepped up drone attacks on power facilities supplying millions of homes across the country.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Though Egbuka stepped up, more is needed.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
A lot of guys were out, and the guys that got to play stepped up.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025
Some women have stepped up to revive them.
—JSTOR Daily, 15 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
Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2025
The search for hostage bodies stepped up over the past few days after the arrival of heavy machinery from Egypt.
—Maayan Lubell, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
The spokesman pointed to Spotify's new AI protections for artists and music producers, which includes stepped up enforcement of AI impersonators, like in this case.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
As temperatures drop in Ukraine, Russia has stepped up drone attacks on power facilities supplying millions of homes across the country.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Though Egbuka stepped up, more is needed.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
A lot of guys were out, and the guys that got to play stepped up.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025
Some women have stepped up to revive them.
—JSTOR Daily, 15 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepped up
Verb
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Even as American political polarization has intensified over the last eight years, both Republicans and Democrats have agreed that an increasingly powerful Beijing poses an economic, technological, and security threat to Washington and its close allies.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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That talk of the Chiefs being helped by officials has continued into this season, and that only intensified when the virtual measurement showed the Commanders were 5 inches short of the first down.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The new sedan also integrates BYD’s latest Tianshen C driver-assistance suite, which adds adaptive cruise, lane-centering, and enhanced safety automation to support more comfortable long-distance driving.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The 8-mm manual focusing lens has a resolution of 256 × 192 pixels, which can be enhanced to simulate 512 × 384 pixels.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Council members call for more transparency Concerns among the community about the bayou deaths heightened when McKissic and others were unexplainably found dead within weeks of each other.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Consider too that both after having a baby and during perimenopause, women may experience low libido, hair loss, and heightened anxiety.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Canada and Mexico have deepened ties, including promising to boost bilateral trade.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
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And today, many economic analysts and historians argue that high tariff legislation passed back in that period, called the Smoot-Hawley tariff, greatly deepened the depression and prevented economic recovery.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Engaging in such activities strengthened connections between different areas of their brain.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Oct. 2025
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Japan and South Korea, United States security allies in Northeast Asia, have recently strengthened their mine warfare capabilities amid China's growing naval presence.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After attorneys representing James filed a motion challenging Halligan's appointment as unlawful, Judge Walker ordered that the motion be consolidated with the already ongoing effort to disqualify her in the case against Comey.—
Pierre Thomas,
ABC News,
24 Oct. 2025
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Once the data was collected and evaluated, it was consolidated and weighted within a scoring model.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepped up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepped%20up. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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