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step

step

69 1.0
A sequence of foot movements that form part of a dance
  • noun
  • /stɛp/
: paso
  • Rachel, do you want to run through your steps before we go again?
  • dance steps
  • learn the steps
  • perform the steps

It's just like the step touches, you're just going right, left.

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Examples

  • Mashi and her friends had been teaching Lily the steps, and everyone planned to go.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • A hundred years later, we are still learning the steps to the same dance.

    Academic text (1998)
  • So the first step is called the base step or the base case.

  • Someone who knows every song, just about every step in the show.

  • You know, it's like step, step, shoulder look, you know, those are the basic steps.

  • As the teacher demonstrates the steps in the larger chorus, students can offer their insights.

    Academic text (2002)
  • I'm doin' the box step!

  • Soon she and Anne were dancing together, matching step for step, hip for hip, smile for smile.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Balanchine routinely incorporated dance steps and movements that were derived from African-American theatrical and vernacular dancing.

    Academic text (2000)
  • At the dance recital, each performer perfectly executed their dance step to create a beautiful performance.

Synonyms

dance move
vsstep
23 2.6

A specific step or movement done during a dance

is limited to sequences of foot movements, not general body movements in dance
dance step
vsstep
11 1.9

A set of foot movements that form part of a dance

is the same meaning but expressed as a shorter single word
moonwalk
vsstep
5 6.8

A dance move where someone slides backward while seeming to walk forward

is the general name for any sequence of foot movements in dance
pas
vsstep
  • Specialized
4 9.9

A small dance step in ballet

is broader, applying to any sequence of foot movements across dance styles
chasse
vsstep
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A quick sliding dance step used in ballet where one foot always leads

is more general, meaning any ordered foot movements used within a dance

Antonyms

35 3.5

A time of complete quiet and no movement that feels calm

10 3.5

A period of time with no movement or action

Idioms

65 1.8

In a gradual way, doing each part one after another

Be careful when you move and act to avoid danger and trouble

In a better position because you are ready before others

To do a task slowly, handling each part before the next

28 4.6

To take responsibility and act when a difficult situation happens

18 6.1

Not in agreement with the ideas or actions of others

15 3.5

Doing something at the same time and in the same way as someone else

8 6.6

Make someone angry by doing their job or making decisions for them

6 4.9

An energetic way of walking that shows happiness or confidence

To imagine how someone else feels and sees things

Become the main focus of people's attention after doing something important

A small action that leads to a very large benefit for all people

2 7.3

To take responsibility and act when someone else cannot

Progress that bigger problems later undo

worth every step
  • Informal
1 6.6

So valuable that you feel the effort was not wasted

1 7.3

Think in a new way instead of your usual way

No two experiences are exactly the same

1 8.6

To have unexpected problems because of your own mistake

Compounds

308 1.4

The first action you take to begin something

94 4.1

Done in a single stage that needs only one main step

33 2.8

Done in separate parts, each finished before the next

28 3.6

An increase in amount, level, or strength

11 1.9

A set of foot movements that form part of a dance

two-step
  • Texting
10 3.9

Needing two actions to prove a person's identity online

8 4.6

A decrease in amount or level, for example moving to a lower job

7 4.1

A lively partner dance with quick then slow steps to music

A method with two steps done one after the other

3 5.6

A wrong action or decision that hurts progress

2 2.0

A small stool with one or two steps used to reach high places

2 3.0

A short portable structure with flat steps and two sides joined at the top to form an A shape

1 4.0

A kind of dance where exact foot movements make the rhythm

half step
  • Specialized
1 4.4

The smallest jump between two notes in Western music, one piano key apart

1 8.9

A march with straight legs swung high used in military parades

step-up transformer
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A device that raises the voltage of electric current that changes direction

A stage in getting better after illness, injury, or addiction

naughty step
  • Baby Talk
1 7.7

A place where a child sits as a short punishment for bad behaviour

one-step
  • Archaic
1 9.5

A fast ballroom dance from the early 1900s with quick walking steps

1 8.4

A short one-piece underwear with shoulder straps worn by women or children

step-down
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A device like a transformer that lowers electrical voltage

1 9.9

A stepped edge at the top of a wall under a sloping roof

whole step
  • Specialized
1 5.4

The distance between two notes that are two piano keys apart

step rocket
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A rocket with two or more parts that fire one after another and drop away when empty to reach space

step-down transformer
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A device that lowers high electric voltage so appliances work safely

A track event where an athlete does a hop, a step, then a long jump in one run

corbel step
  • Specialized
9.9

A stone or brick step that sticks out along the sloping edge of a gable wall

9.9

A stepped top on the end wall of a roof that looks like stone stairs

How Complex

routine
151 3.2
combination
624 2.3
sequence
342 3.2
step
69 1.0
to move
3 1.0

Surface Forms

step singular
steps plural

Etymology

Step comes from an old English word steppan meaning 'to place the foot', so a step in dance is one specific movement of the feet you must make.