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step

step

526 1.0
A flat part of a stair where you put your foot when going up or down
  • noun
  • /stɛp/
translation icon : escalón
  • She painted each step of the stairs a different color to make them more inviting.
  • watch your step
  • climb the steps
  • descend the steps

Now we've got the body dumped on the step outside.

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Examples

  • The altar rests upon white marble steps placed in the middle of an open space.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Meryl came after us at once, running down the steps as we walked toward Vivian's car.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Watch him sit on the step, he'll pull his arms straight.

  • A door at the foot of the steps led me inside, out of the wind.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You pick your newspaper off your front step in front of your door.

  • We got out of the car and headed up the steps behind Uncle Bob.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Edward closes the door and walks past her down the steps to the living room.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • A dog lay in wait for me as I sat on the steps of a Catholic convent.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I remember your great-grandfather coming out onto the courthouse steps, holding your father's hand.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The steps are icy.

Synonyms

stair
vsstep
786 1.0

A flat part of a set of steps where you put your foot when you go up or down

is a flat surface used to place a foot, not stressing narrow shape
doorstep
vsstep
126 1.0

The step at the bottom of a door that you cross to go inside

is used to place a foot when moving up or down, not at an entrance
tread
vsstep
37 3.7

The part of a shoe or tire that touches the ground for grip

refers specifically to the surface used to place the foot between floors
stairstep
vsstep
2.1

A single step in a staircase

is a flat surface used to place a foot when going up or down
catstep
vsstep
9.0

A small step that helps you reach high places like a top shelf

is a regular surface for moving between floors rather than a small helper platform

Antonyms

gap
148 1.0

An open space between two things, like a pass in hills

Idioms

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

32 4.6

To take responsibility and act when a difficult situation happens

23 1.8

In a gradual way, doing each part one after another

18 6.1

Not in agreement with the ideas or actions of others

6 3.5

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

4 6.6

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

2 7.3

To take responsibility and act when someone else cannot

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

1 4.9

An energetic way of walking that shows happiness or confidence

worth every step
  • Informal
1 6.6

So valuable that you feel the effort was not wasted

No two experiences are exactly the same

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

Progress that bigger problems later undo

To imagine how someone else feels and sees things

Think in a new way instead of your usual way

8.6

To have unexpected problems because of your own mistake

Compounds

281 1.4

The first action you take to begin something

23 2.8

Done in separate parts, each finished before the next

20 3.6

An increase in amount, level, or strength

9 1.9

A set of foot movements that form part of a dance

5 4.1

Done in a single stage that needs only one main step

half step
  • Specialized
3 4.4

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

two-step
  • Texting
3 3.9

Needing two actions to prove a person's identity online

3 4.6

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

A method with two steps done one after the other

one-step
  • Archaic
3 9.5

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

2 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 4.1

A lively partner dance with quick then slow steps to music

1 3.0

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

step-down
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A device like a transformer that lowers electrical voltage

naughty step
  • Baby Talk
1 7.7

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

1 4.0

A kind of dance where exact foot movements make the rhythm

1 8.4

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

step-up transformer
  • Specialized
1 4.8

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

whole step
  • Specialized
1 5.4

The distance between two notes that are two piano keys apart

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

9.9

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

A march with straight legs swung high used in military parades

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

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

step rocket
  • Specialized
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
5.6

A device that lowers high electric voltage so appliances work safely

How Big

terrace
42 3.4
patio
106 1.8
deck
808 1.3
step
526 1.0
plank
56 1.7

Surface Forms

step singular
steps plural

Etymology

Step comes from an old English word steppan meaning 'to place the foot', so a step is the flat place on a stair where you put your foot.