step-up
adjective
effecting an increase.
step-up
American
[step-uhp]
/ ˈstɛpˌʌp /
Or
stepup
adjective
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effecting an increase.
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Electricity. serving to increase voltage.
a step-up transformer.
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(of a lease) allowing for gradual rent increases to the highest amount permissible.
noun
step up
British
verb
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(tr) to increase or raise by stages; accelerate
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(intr) to make progress or effect an advancement; be promoted
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baseball to move into batting position
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to come forward and take responsibility for something
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adjective
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(of a transformer) increasing a low voltage applied to the primary winding to a higher voltage on the secondary winding Compare step down
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informal involving a rise by stages
noun
step up
Idioms
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Increase, especially in stages, as in We've got to step up production . [Early 1900s] Also see step down , def. 2.
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Come forward, as in Step up to the podium, folks, and I'll show you how it works . [Mid-1600s]
Etymology
Origin of step-up
First recorded in 1890–95; adj., noun use of verb phrase step up
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So if you change the transfer on death or payable on death designations to your grandchildren, that won’t alter the step-up.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
Assets generally receive a step-up in basis if they are included in your taxable estate at your death.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
When heirs inherit assets in an irrevocable trust, they don’t get the benefit of a step-up in cost basis that they get on assets inherited outside the trust.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
That is a lucrative step-up from registered nurses, who make an average $98,000, but also far below the $257,000 average for primary-care doctors.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
Divested of nearly all technical phrases, an induction coil may be briefly described as a step-up transformer of small capacity.
From The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 700 Things for Boys to Do by Popular Mechanics Co.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
