/ English Dictionary

STEP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: stepped    , stepping   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

Example:

the police took steps to reduce crime

Synonyms:

measure; step

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

maneuver; manoeuvre; tactical maneuver; tactical manoeuvre (a move made to gain a tactical end)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

countermeasure (an action taken to offset another action)

porcupine provision; shark repellent (a measure undertaken by a corporation to discourage unwanted takeover attempts)

guard; precaution; safeguard (a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down

Example:

he walked with unsteady steps

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

locomotion; travel (self-propelled movement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

pace; stride; tread (a step in walking or running)

pas ((ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet))

trip (a light or nimble tread)

sidestep (a step to one side (as in boxing or dancing))

footstep (the act of taking a step in walking)

Derivation:

step (measure (distances) by pacing)

step (shift or move by taking a step)

step (put down or press the foot, place the foot)

step (walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner)

step (move with one's feet in a specific manner)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A sequence of foot movements that make up a particular dance

Example:

he taught them the waltz step

Synonyms:

dance step; step

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

locomotion; travel (self-propelled movement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

glissade ((ballet) a gliding or sliding step in ballet)

chasse; sashay ((ballet) quick gliding steps with one foot always leading)

moonwalk (a kind of dance step in which the dancer seems to be sliding on the spot)

Holonyms ("step" is a part of...):

hoofing; step dancing (dancing in which the steps are more important than gestures or postures)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway

Example:

he paused on the bottom step

Synonyms:

stair; step

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)

Meronyms (parts of "step"):

riser (structural member consisting of the vertical part of a stair or step)

tread (structural member consisting of the horizontal part of a stair or step)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

corbel step; corbie-step; corbiestep; crow step ((architecture) a step on the top of a gable wall)

Holonyms ("step" is a part of...):

staircase; stairway (a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps)

Derivation:

step (furnish with steps)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A solid block joined to the beams in which the heel of a ship's mast or capstan is fixed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

block (a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides))

Derivation:

step (place (a ship's mast) in its step)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A mark of a foot or shoe on a surface

Example:

the police made casts of the footprints in the soft earth outside the window

Synonyms:

footmark; footprint; step

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

mark; print (a visible indication made on a surface)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

footprint evidence (evidence in the form of footprints)

Derivation:

step (put down or press the foot, place the foot)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A musical interval of two semitones

Synonyms:

step; tone; whole step; whole tone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

interval; musical interval (the difference in pitch between two notes)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The sound of a step of someone walking

Example:

he heard footsteps on the porch

Synonyms:

footfall; footstep; step

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

tramp (a heavy footfall)

Derivation:

step (shift or move by taking a step)

step (move with one's feet in a specific manner)

Sense 9

Meaning:

The distance covered by a step

Example:

he stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig

Synonyms:

footstep; pace; step; stride

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

indefinite quantity (an estimated quantity)

Derivation:

step (measure (distances) by pacing)

step (shift or move by taking a step)

step (put down or press the foot, place the foot)

step (walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A short distance

Example:

it's only a step to the drugstore

Synonyms:

step; stone's throw

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)

Derivation:

step (measure (distances) by pacing)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Relative position in a graded series

Example:

keep in step with the fashions

Synonyms:

gradation; step

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):

rank (relative status)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):

cut (a step on some scale)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move or proceed as if by steps into a new situation

Example:

he won't step into his father's footsteps

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

move (go or proceed from one point to another)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Measure (distances) by pacing

Example:

step off ten yards

Synonyms:

pace; step

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

measure; quantify (express as a number or measure or quantity)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

step (a short distance)

step (the distance covered by a step)

step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Place (a ship's mast) in its step

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

step (a solid block joined to the beams in which the heel of a ship's mast or capstan is fixed)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Shift or move by taking a step

Example:

step back

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "step"):

backpedal (step backwards, in boxing)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Also:

step out (go outside a room or building for a short period of time)

Derivation:

step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)

step (the sound of a step of someone walking)

step (the distance covered by a step)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Put down or press the foot, place the foot

Example:

step on the brake

Synonyms:

step; tread

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "step"):

step on; tread on (place or press the foot on)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)

step (a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface)

step (the distance covered by a step)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner

Example:

step over to the blackboard

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

walk (use one's feet to advance; advance by steps)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)

step (the distance covered by a step)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Move with one's feet in a specific manner

Example:

step lively

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Derivation:

step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)

step (the sound of a step of someone walking)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Furnish with steps

Example:

The architect wants to step the terrace

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)

Domain category:

architecture (the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their esthetic effect)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

step (support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Treat badly

Example:

She is always stepping on others to get ahead

Synonyms:

abuse; ill-treat; ill-use; maltreat; mistreat; step

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "step"):

kick around (treat badly; abuse)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 10

Meaning:

Cause (a computer) to execute a single command

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):

execute; run (carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

So, when there came a ship, Old Kinoos stepped forward and said he would show the way.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Propionyl-CoA has three carbons and succinyl-CoA has four carbons, so one of the first steps in this pathway is the carboxylation of propionyl-CoA with an input of energy from ATP.

(Oxidation of Odd-Numbered Chain Fatty Acid Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Any representation of the individual steps in a metabolic pathway of a cell.

(Modeling of Cellular Pathways, NCI Thesaurus)

The following steps of GGR-NER and TCR-NER are similar.

(Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

Another proteolytic step in Notch processing is carried out by TACE, also known as ADAM17.

(Notch Proteolysis and Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

And now, you've spoke up free, and I'll take it kind if you'd step down into that there cabin and get me a—well, a—shiver my timbers!

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The second cleavage step appears to occur within the transmembrane domain of Notch, and releases a Notch intracellular domain (NICD).

(Notch and Wnt Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The old chief stepped forward to us, and asked us some questions, pointing at the same time to the woods.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I am not a young lady, and it's only a step.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Mr. Utterson stepped out and touched him on the shoulder as he passed.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE