step on it

idiomatic phrase

: to increase one's speed : hurry up

You'd better step on it or we'll be late.

especially : to accelerate an automobile

The one in the back seat asked me what made me so sure I was having a heart attack. Very polite, I said I had had one before and knew what it was like. My wife, less polite, told them to step on it.

—Marvin Barrett

Examples of step on it in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There were these shoe prints on my couch like someone stepped on it after coming through the window. —Katie Arnold-Ratliff, Curbed, 13 Mar. 2025

Visiting players walking through the tunnel, seeing their opponents’ badge on the floor and then inexplicably taking the scenic route to avoid stepping on it. —Ali Rampling, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025

The big thrill overall was the instant speed when stepping on it, and the handling during short maneuvers. —Josh Max, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

The puppy's leg was crushed after a horse stepped on it. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

The dog that played Dorothy’s faithful Toto was injured when someone stepped on it. —Eric Andersson, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024

Passersby step on it with no thought of the name beneath their hurrying feet. —Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2024

When Carl came to a session with a cigarette, Brian would pull it out his mouth and step on it. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2024

The inch-thick mat generated electricity every time a person stepped on it. —Ramsha Zubairi, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for step on it

• candlelit
• counterfeit
• hypocrite
• monazite
• resubmit
• retrofit
• acquit
• admit
• amrit
• armpit
• backlit
• befit