How to Use a step up/down in a Sentence

a step up/down

idiom
Definition of a step up/downnext
  • Even the magnetic charging base feels like a step up from the rest.
    — Nick Guy, wsj.com, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Think of your new fleece as a step up from a regular hoodie.
    — Ellen McAlpine, Men's Health, 11 Aug. 2023
  • From Gary Klein: Matthew Stafford placed his right foot gingerly on a step up to the podium and winced through a smile.
    — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Was there a way forward for these farmers that wasn’t also a step down?
    — Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
  • In-state tuition and fees run around $7,360, which is a bit of a step up in cost compared to Florida and Wyoming.
    — Becca Stanek, The Week, 20 Apr. 2023
  • And is that a step down a slippery slope that leads to restrictions that many people would not want on free speech?
    — Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2023
  • The overall threat takes a step down but extends into the Northeast and includes New York City.
    — Jennifer Gray, CNN, 3 July 2023
  • The tour represents a step up in her stand-up career, moving from clubs to theaters.
    — Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News, 18 Jan. 2022
  • For a step up, gift it in a basket with other skincare products for a full spa day routine.
    — Ali Faccenda, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024
  • And do their 54-hole events represent a step down in level of play or preparation?
    — Tom Schad, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023
  • Detroit’s Jared Goff is a step up in pretty much every regard.
    — Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Then the fair market value of the home could be included in the gross estate and the children would receive a step up in basis at the mother’s death.
    — Liz Weston, oregonlive, 24 Apr. 2023
  • There’s not a lot of people who have that ability to engage both in detail but also then take a step back, or a step up.
    — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Photos don’t look quite as good as shaded art due to the loss of detail, but even this is a step up from reading comics on a monochrome E Ink screen.
    — PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023
  • This was a step down from the $100 billion valuation the company had raised funds at a year prior.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
  • In Richard Roper’s capable hands, the search becomes so much more – a kindling of confidence, a step down new paths.
    — Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Like several of the others on this list that are on the higher end of our low threshold, the C1 is a step up in terms of build quality, finish, and ergonomics.
    — Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, 10 May 2023
  • Still, the Bradleys will mark a step up for Ukraine, with more firepower than the armored vehicles the United States sent earlier.
    — Claire Parker, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2023
  • This sleek version from Tkees is a step up from your standard souvenir shop pair, or Havaianas that are a little too casual to go to a café in.
    — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2023
  • The good news is the Aztecs are probably going somewhere and taking a step up in conference quality.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2023
  • Like Li, Youngblood is a fan of the contrast sock, and thinks of loafers as a step up from sneakers–ultra-functional, but formal enough to serve just about any occasion.
    — Erika Veurink, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2023
  • Metal grommets prevent your hooks or rings from tearing the liner—a step up from the plastic ring holes of other budget options.
    — Alice Knisley Matthias, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2023
  • That’s a step up from an educational hearing, one of which the subcommittee held last March.
    — Steve Berkowitz, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
  • There was the electric Rolls-Royce Spectre, which confirmed my suspicions that swapping a V12 for some batteries and a pair of electric motors would be a step up.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023
  • That Brodesser-Akner has managed to draft at least a humane sketch of Rachel feels like a step up from her nonfiction, which tended toward glibness.
    — Bonnie Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Maeda will be facing a step up in competition on Monday.
    — Tanner McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2023
  • However, most eyes were on Cam Thomas taking a step up after flourishing last year in his limited time.
    — Tyler Small, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
  • The previous month, the father had ransacked his savings to make a five-thousand-dollar down payment on a three-bedroom house—a step up from the decrepit rental where the family had lived for five years.
    — Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022
  • York saved his money from speaking engagements to open a high school that still continues under his goal of giving rural Tennesseans like him a step up.
    — Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2023
  • That was above analysts’ expectations and a step up from growth of 11% during the year-earlier period.
    — Tom Dotan, WSJ, 24 Oct. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a step up/down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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