to step up to the plate
32
4.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
dar un paso al frente
- Can you step up to the plate and save us?
- need to step up to the plate
- willing to step up to the plate
- really stepped up to the plate
Alloy is ready to step up to the plate and help women where they need it most.
- Alloy is ready to step up to the plate and help women where they need it most.
- But the point is that there are some people that step up to the plate to lead that are really great leaders.
- It's obviously it's a big, big challenge, but when the time's right, you step up to the plate.
- If that guy does not step up to the plate and show appreciation, respect, honor your efforts, that tells you right there it's not worth your time to move forward.
- Did any celebrities step up to the plate and defend you?
- But at the end of the day, men woman love a man that steps up to the plate and pursues her.
- Not one fucking person is stepping up to the plate all the way from the president of the United States down.
- But they have an air of like, you have to step up to the plate to come at them, all right?
- But what my question is, why do I keep attracting men who you know, can't step up to the plate and provide their own?
- I think you just stepping up to the plate and finding out who your demons are for your family.
- How do you know if there's a type of Moat protecting of the the competitors from stepping up to the plate?
Examples
-
"College and university libraries need to step up to the plate here," Bourg said.
Academic text (2016) -
If people don't want to step up to the plate, then it just means that you don't really want this.
-
You all always show up and step up to the plate and really make a difference.
-
But the point is that there are some people that step up to the plate to lead that are really great leaders.
-
We need to step up to the plate.
-
Listen, Noah, you have really got to step up to the plate here.
-
So our area residents really stepped up to the plate in making our drive a great success.
Blog text (12) -
It is time for you to step up to the plate and do your part.
-
Strong people tend to step up to the plate when a need arises.
Blog text (7) -
It is time for you to step up to the plate and do your part.
Synonyms
405
2.8
To agree to do a job or task
193
3.3
To admit you caused a problem and accept the blame
182
3.7
Take action and accept responsibility for a task or problem
79
3.2
To start guiding a group or activity and make the main decisions
6
4.2
Face a difficult task and succeed at it
2
7.3
To take responsibility and act when someone else cannot
1
7.3
To take on an important role as a leader
To offer to take charge of a group or task
Antonyms
How Responsible
98
3.5
- Informal
32
4.6
240
3.2
- Informal
486
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a metaphorical baseball idiom: while 'step up' can suggest taking action or initiative, the addition 'to the plate' is culturally specific and not literally related to responsibility, so the full meaning is not directly derivable from the constituent words. A B1 learner who knows the words might partially guess it involves acting, but they would likely need prior exposure or cultural knowledge to infer the precise sense of taking responsibility.
Etymology
Step up to the plate comes from baseball. In the game, the player who must hit the ball moves forward, they step up to the plate to take their turn and meet the challenge, so the phrase now means 'to take responsibility or act when needed'.