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

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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 Under Obama, the FBI and other agencies stepped up efforts to crack down on Chinese espionage. — David S. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026 North Korea has also stepped up weapons testing activity as its leader Kim Jong Un expands his military nuclear program while taking an increasingly hard line toward Seoul. — ABC News, 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 When Bruno Fernandes stepped up to the penalty spot on Sunday afternoon, all eyes were at first on him. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 The Marlins had reclaimed lead when Jensen stepped up in the fifth, again with Isbel on base with another hit. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 Hedrick was pleased with the way his defense stepped up and kept Palos Verdes out of the end zone in the second half. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepped up

Verb

Regulatory activity around the project has intensified rapidly in recent weeks.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
While the aerial war has intensified in recent months, fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer front line snaking through northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has been virtually deadlocked.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of intensified

Verb

The destroyer has enhanced electrical power distribution and additional cooling capacity to support its advanced systems.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
If the liminal atmosphere in Backrooms, enhanced by the cinematography of Jeremy Cox, gave you a sense of dread, his camera work on Concrete Turned to Sand will take you into a very different space – oyster farms in British Columbia, Canada.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of enhanced

Verb

But the conflict heightened last week, with insults flying back and forth.

— Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Recent significant coastal impacts, such as erosion, along parts of the West Coast have also heightened attention to the potential effects of changing ocean conditions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of heightened

Verb

The pandemic, which emptied offices in 2020, deepened WeWork’s troubles.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
That has made imports more expensive and deepened a longstanding cost of living crisis that sparked nationwide protests last December that the security forces crushed with deadly force.

— Erika Solomon, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of deepened

Verb

With more housing near transit comes less reliance on cars, more pedestrian-friendly development, cleaner air and strengthened commercial corridors.

— Bennett Lawson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
The programme’s delivery schedule was strengthened earlier this year through a contractual amendment between Fincantieri and OCCAR.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of strengthened

Verb

In 2024, they were reinforced and consolidated by the University of California and California State University to regulate when, where and how students can protest on campus.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
The district this summer closed or consolidated nine public schools — many of them anchors in underserved communities — and has cut its operating budget.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 2 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stepped up

verb

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