Step (Verb)
Meaning 1
Walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner; "step over to the blackboard".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- Step over to the blackboard and write the answer on it for everyone to see.
- She had to step aside and let the paramedics tend to the injured person.
- Can you step inside for a minute and look at this paper I need you to sign.
- The principal asked the student to step forward and accept the award.
- The teacher asked the student to step back and give others a chance to answer.
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Meaning 2
Move or proceed as if by steps into a new situation; "She stepped into a life of luxury"; "he won't step into his father's footsteps".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- She stepped into a life of luxury after marrying a wealthy businessman.
- He won't step into his father's footsteps and continue the family law firm.
- As the former CEO retired, her protégée stepped into the leadership role.
- She decided to step into the role of a single parent and balance work life.
- They cautiously stepped into the negotiations, careful not to show their hand.
Meaning 3
Treat badly; "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- His reckless ambition led him to step all over his colleagues to advance his career.
- She is notorious for stepping on others to secure the top management position.
- He will stop at nothing and step on anyone who gets in his way to success.
- Her ruthless attitude allows her to step on others without any regret or remorse.
- He was infamous for stepping on his subordinates to maintain his power and authority.
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Meaning 4
Put down or press the foot, place the foot; "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread"; "step on the brake".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- Don't step on the glass that's broken on the floor.
- She had to step back to see the full picture on the canvas.
- Step carefully on the wet stones to avoid slipping.
- Step to the left to allow others to pass through the doorway.
- When you see the warning light come on, step on the brake immediately.
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Meaning 5
Shift or move by taking a step; "step back".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- She carefully stepped forward, trying not to slip on the wet floor.
- The police officer stepped back to avoid being hit by the oncoming car.
- To see the entire painting, she had to step back and try a different perspective.
- The firefighter stepped aside to let the doctor through to the injured person.
- The instructor told him to step back and watch how she handled the equipment.
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Meaning 6
Furnish with steps; "The architect wants to step the terrace".
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- The design requires that we step the land to create separate levels for each garden feature.
- To make the most of the natural slope, we can step the retaining wall with different heights.
- The architect wants to step the buildings' rooftops to create rooftop gardens on multiple levels.
- In order to accommodate varying elevations, the builder had to step the house foundation.
- To create an accessible walkway, the trail designer had to step the hillsides rather than build long, steep inclines.
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Meaning 7
Measure (distances) by pacing; "step off ten yards".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The tourists were told to step off the distance to get a better estimate of the massive canyon.
- He got out of the car to step out the length of the parking space.
- She started to step off the room to get an approximate square footage for the interior designers.
- To get the measurements correct, they asked someone to step off the length and width of the plot.
- The real estate agent asked her assistant to step out the dimensions of the large room.
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Meaning 8
Move with one's feet in a specific manner; "step lively".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- Step quickly and follow the instructions to avoid the obstacles.
- She had to step carefully on the thin ice to avoid falling in.
- The tour guide asked the group to step aside and let the other tourists pass.
- In a job interview, it is essential to step confidently into the room and shake hands with the interviewer.
- To avoid slipping, step slowly and hold onto the handrail when walking down the stairs.
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Meaning 9
Place (a ship's mast) in its step.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The crew struggled to step the new mast into place after the old one was damaged in the storm.
- The shipwright carefully positioned the mast to step it into the step on the keel.
- Stepping the mast required the coordinated effort of the entire crew to avoid any accidents.
- As the sailors prepared to set sail, they made sure to properly step the mast into its socket.
- In dry dock, the team worked to step a new mast into the ship's step, repairing the damage from the wreck.
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Meaning 10
Cause (a computer) to execute a single command.
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The programmer chose to step through the code slowly to identify the mistake.
- Use the 'step' function to execute the program line by line for debugging purposes.
- She steps through each line of the algorithm, checking for errors.
- To find the problem, he decided to step through the entire program one instruction at a time.
- We can step over this section of the code since we already know it's correct.