a step up/down
idiom
: more/less important, challenging, etc., than something had before
The new job is a step up/down for her.
Examples of a step up/down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
That’s a step up in memory from the frankly anaemic 8 GB or RAM found in the current entry-level MacBook Pro with its M3 chipset.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
However, shelter costs, which have held higher than Fed officials anticipated this year, were up 4.9% year-over-year, a step down that could indicate an easing of broader price pressures ahead.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2024
That means a step up from a generation-old AMD Radeon card to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, which drew some criticism for being too small of an upgrade over the last-gen RTX 3060 but is nevertheless the best all-around choice for a midrange gaming system.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for a step up/down 
Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024
That’s a step up in memory from the frankly anaemic 8 GB or RAM found in the current entry-level MacBook Pro with its M3 chipset.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
However, shelter costs, which have held higher than Fed officials anticipated this year, were up 4.9% year-over-year, a step down that could indicate an easing of broader price pressures ahead.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2024
That means a step up from a generation-old AMD Radeon card to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, which drew some criticism for being too small of an upgrade over the last-gen RTX 3060 but is nevertheless the best all-around choice for a midrange gaming system.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for a step up/down
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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Cite this Entry
“A step up/down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20step%20up%2Fdown. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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