How to Use a step up/down in a Sentence

a step up/down

idiom
  • And the way the stage works at the Noel Coward, there’s sort of a step down just as the stage meets the audience.
    Caroline Frost, Deadline, 22 June 2024
  • And the way the stage works at the Noel Coward is there's sort of a step down just as the stage meets the audience.
    Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 18 June 2024
  • Even the magnetic charging base feels like a step up from the rest.
    Nick Guy, wsj.com, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Fitzgerald has said the nine-bin sorter is a step up from the three-bin machine the library had at the front of the building.
    Thomas Saccente, arkansasonline.com, 13 July 2024
  • 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
  • Okay, these eggs have stuff inside of them, so that’s a step up from the eggless dystopia of Don’t Worry, Darling.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024
  • 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
  • Enter: linen tops, which are a step up from your typical tee and come with breezy benefits.
    Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 15 July 2024
  • 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
  • This is a step up for Xperia models, which often had lower battery life figures due to the 4K screen.
    Eric Zeman, PCMAG, 15 May 2024
  • White saw his numbers take a step up as his offensive usage increased with Porzingis out of the lineup most of the playoffs.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
  • 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
  • The controls are also a step up due in large part to the inclusion of a proper directional pad.
    Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 10 July 2024
  • These are a step up from the traditional boring paper plate.
    Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Facing a step up in competition in their home opener, Curry was forced to watch the bulk of the fourth quarter against the Clippers from the locker room.
    Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2024
  • To be sure, some Wall Street analysts aren’t expecting a step up in upgrades driven the trade-in offers.
    Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2024
  • That's already a step up from the M2, which has only 20 billion transistors across eight total cores.
    PCMAG, 25 May 2024
  • 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

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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