Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to take a step back

to take a step back

53 4.1
To pause and think again about a situation to see the bigger picture
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : dar un paso atrás
  • Before making a decision, I always take a step back to consider all my options carefully.

And our method is that we take a step back from belief.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Look, take a step back and look at the situation we're in.

    Carnage (2011)

  • I force myself to breathe, take a step back, and wait to respond.

  • All right, let me take a step back to see what she does.

  • You almost have to take a step back and question why that is.

  • You can just take a step back and allow yourself to be human.

  • And when I travel, I can kind of take a step back and see things more clear.

    Kevin Jubbal, M.D.

  • So after five years I think we need to take a step back and say one, we were right.

  • Can you just take a step back for a minute?

    Welcome to the Punch (2013)

  • Adam, let's take a step back here for a second, all right?

    The Craft: Legacy (2020)

  • I need to take a step back and reassess what I really want.

    The Killer's Game (2024)

Synonyms

to reconsider
vsto take a step back
227 3.7

To think again about a choice and possibly change it

emphasizes pausing to gain wider perspective, not just rethinking
to rethink
vsto take a step back
144 3.4

To think again about something to decide if you should change it

adds an explicit pause to that reconsideration to gain perspective
to step back
vsto take a step back
101 3.6

Pause and think about a situation to understand it better

is a pause used to reevaluate and gain clear perspective
to take a moment
vsto take a step back
98 3.4

Stop for a short time to think, rest or remember something

is a pause used specifically to reevaluate and gain perspective
to take stock
vsto take a step back
22 4.8

To carefully check what you have and how things are going

is a simpler pause to reconsider position rather than an inventory
to turn over
vsto take a step back
4 4.1

Think carefully about something before deciding

focuses more on pausing to gain overall perspective than on decision only
to relook
vsto take a step back
3 5.3

To consider something again before deciding

involves stepping back to gain broader perspective, not only review
to take a moment to orient
vsto take a step back
4.1

Pause briefly to look around and understand where you are

is a pause mainly to rethink position rather than only to adjust

Antonyms

to rush in
36 3.1

Act quickly without thinking, for example by going into a place

to dive in
  • Informal
23 3.7

Start doing something quickly and with a lot of energy

How Reflective

to reconsider
227 3.7
to take a step back
53 4.1
to pause
346 1.0

Surface Forms

take a step back infinitive
took a step back past
taken a step back past participle
taking a step back present participle
takes a step back third person singular

Morphology

take + a + step + back

The literal meanings of 'take' + 'step' + 'back' (to move one step in the backward direction) provide a clear metaphoric basis for distancing oneself and gaining perspective, so the constituents give a helpful cue. However, the idiomatic reading 'pause and reconsider' is a metaphorical extension rather than a strictly compositional meaning and may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Take a step back comes from the simple image of actually taking a step away and moving back from something, like stepping away from a painting so you can see the whole picture. So it means 'to pause and think again' or 'to get a better view of a situation'.