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
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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
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Competition is also intensifying.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But competition is intensifying.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The one-day workshop brings together Phambassadors for speaker sessions, storytelling workshops and community-building — all in the name of deepening the Philly love.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Born Again is a worthy follow-up to its original series, deepening its themes of corruption and justice with Cox and D'Onofrio continuing to deliver committed performances.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The mainframe cycle is enhancing infrastructure.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The drones can help save time and money while enhancing situational awareness and providing higher-quality data that can be integrated into digital environments, the press release said.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The fire and brimstone nature of both fixtures, played in potentially imposing and intimidating stadiums, carries the risk of heightening the level of a player’s tension, in turn hindering their concentration or ability to follow a plan.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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This morning, the emotional Moon harmonizes with expansive Jupiter, heightening our empathy toward others.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In an era of instant answers, strengthening critical thinking means resisting automation.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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While strengthening the midfield is a priority, United want a defensive leader and will be weighing up their options for what’s likely to be a four-man defence now Ruben Amorim has departed.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stepping up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20up. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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