# step up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/step-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To increase, augment, or advance, especially by one or more steps.

## Examples

- You need to step up your efforts to finish the work.
- When the team captain got injured, the younger players had to step up to win the game.
- Faced with the sudden loss of their primary investor, the board members realized they must step up their fundraising efforts to prevent the company from collapsing.

## Origin

An ellipsis of the American baseball idiom *step up to the plate*, which describes a player taking their turn at bat. The shortened form entered general usage as a metaphor for assuming responsibility.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.