STEPPED UP Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

stepped up

verb

Definition of stepped up

past tense of step up

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 stepped up Since the Current traded away Ally Sentnor to Angel City, Hopkins stepped up and provided what the Current needed at striker, perhaps as a better stylistic fit than Sentnor. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026 Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain stepped up when San Antonio pulled close, combining for 25 points in the second half. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Johan Enslin, an ARPA-E program director, envisions a grid in which power can be converted, directed and managed automatically—much like the way data are routed around the Internet—rather than merely stepped up or down. — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 China has lately stepped up its efforts to secure rare-earth ore around the world. — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Oct. 2026 Under Obama, the FBI and other agencies stepped up efforts to crack down on Chinese espionage. — David S. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026 The state government has since stepped up to help keep the clinic’s small in-house pharmacy sufficiently stocked with MMR vaccines, and the timing has been critical. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026 Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine’s data centers and internet providers in recent days, seeking to disrupt the flow of information in the country. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026 While Aaron Judge is on the shelf for the entirety of this best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, other New York Yankees homegrown talent stepped up to take Game 1 in the Bronx on Tuesday night. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepped up

Verb

Saturday's demonstrations marked the culmination of a push that intensified earlier this month.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
And since then, the trend toward a Democrat sweep has intensified.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of intensified

Verb

Visions, enhanced with shadows and emotion, came to life on marble through sketching the stone and chiseling and carving entirely by hand.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026
Each picture mode offers essentially the same rich set of options, except for AI-enhanced, which locks you out of some settings (including local contrast and color tuner), presumably because the AI logic is handling those.

— M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of enhanced

Verb

That concern has been heightened after reports that the military grade version of Starlink, called Starshield, that Ukraine relies upon for its operations, was temporarily slowed down last week, Talley said.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Recent mass protests and rioting in France have heightened the market's concerns.

— Deena Zaidi,Christopher Hayes, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of heightened

Verb

The friction has deepened since co-founder Reed Hastings stepped away from management, handing the reins in January 2023 to Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, who share the job of chief executive.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
The crisis at Manchester United deepened with a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League, while Italian champion Inter Milan needed two goals in stoppage time to regain the Serie A lead.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of deepened

Verb

Heidi Levine, the Washington Post journalist brutally attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank last week, said the terrifying ordeal has only strengthened her resolve to continue covering the plight of Palestinians.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
The past several months have strengthened our belief in what EA can become.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of strengthened

Verb

While Xi has consolidated his grip on power, analysts say the plenum will offer him an opportunity to further align what Chinese officials do with what Beijing wants.

— KANIS LEUNG, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
When aviation outgrew the Commerce Department, Congress consolidated oversight into a single independent agency in 1938 and then again in 1958 under the FAA, which moved quickly to strengthen air traffic management and safety rules.

— Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of consolidated

Browse Nearby Words

stepped out

stepped up

steppes

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“Stepped up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepped%20up. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stepped up

verb

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