stepped down; stepping down; steps down
: to withdraw from one's position or occupation : retire, resign
League commissioner Pete Rozelle … announced his intention to step down after 29 years on the job—his retirement becomes effective upon selection of a successor …—
Richard Demak and Jerry Kirshenbaum
Richard Demak and Jerry Kirshenbaum… the general would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution.—Brian Duffy et al.
Brian Duffy et al.1
: to lower (a voltage) by means of a transformer
… voltages as high as two hundred and thirty thousand volts … which were carried by high-voltage power lines from generating plants, were being stepped down by large transformers to thirteen thousand volts …—Paul Brodeur
Paul Brodeur2
: to decrease or reduce (something) especially by one or more steps
As This Old House's plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey points out, the installer has to carefully step down the size of the ducts so there's even air pressure at all the room outlets.—Scott Gibson
Scott Gibson
variants
or step down
or less commonly stepdown
plural step-downs or step downs also stepdowns
: a decrease or reduction (as in size or amount) and especially one that is gradual or incremental
a dosage step-down
After several months of heavy investments, Amazon said it expects coronavirus-related costs to decelerate. … [Amazon CFO Brian] Olsavsky attributed the step down in Covid costs to a shift in volume.—Annie Palmer
Annie PalmerThat tax credit was scheduled to expire in 2019 but will now expire in 2025, with stepdowns toward the end of the program.—Alaska Dispatch News
Alaska Dispatch News1
electrical engineering
: serving to decrease voltage
a step-down transformer
2
medical
: providing or offering a reduced level of care or service
step-down drug rehab programs
specifically
: providing an intermediate level of care and monitoring especially for patients transitioning out of intensive care
a cardiac step-down unit
… a portable, mechanical driver that can power patients' artificial hearts and enable them to recover outside the hospital environment, including at home and at step-down facilities. —Anne Buckley
Anne Buckley 
Synonyms
Examples of step down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebPranshu Verma, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
In addition, OpenAI president Greg Brockman will step down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023
Greg Brockman will also step down as the chairman of OpenAI’s board of directors as part of the leadership change, but will remain in his role as President of the company.
—Kylie Robison, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
Additionally, Greg Brockman, who is the co-founder and president of OpenAI, will be stepping down as chairman of the board, but will remain in his role at the company.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Nov. 2023
Seidler purchased the Padres in 2012 and became chairman in November 2020 after his business partner Ron Fowler stepped down from the role.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
It was recently announced that the beloved editor would be stepping down from his role as editor-in-chief at British Vogue.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 14 Nov. 2023
The Ryzen 5 8600G will be a step down, with six Zen 4 CPU cores and a Radeon 760M with eight GPU compute units.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 13 Nov. 2023
Preview Subscribe Johnston succeeds Christine McCarthy, who stepped down in June to take a family medical leave, and who clashed with top executives over strategy issues, including how much money Disney spends on content, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
—Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023
Mark David, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2023
The state helped launch four intensive psychiatric step-down programs, the first of their kind for foster youth in Texas.
—Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
From there, glassy doors on each side of the foyer open to a step-down living room sporting a stylish fireplace and two sets of French doors flowing out to an al fresco dining and lounging terrace, and spacious formal dining room.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2023
The project mined local boulders to create more natural step-down structures so fish, tubers and anglers can move freely up and down the stream.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023
From there, a step-down living room sports hardwood floors, a baronial fireplace, and French doors spilling out to a balcony overlooking an eye-catching pool and spa.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 16 Aug. 2023
Inmates within the step-down program will be allowed access to TV, radio, commissary, and educational materials and services designed to help them with their rehabilitation.
—Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2023
Four bedrooms, four and a half baths, a step-down library adjoining the living room.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 31 Jan. 2023
Generally, that means picking the trail that’s least steep, doesn’t feature any large step-downs, or consists of wide, curving switchbacks instead of precipitous slopes.
—Alisha McDarris, Popular Science, 29 June 2023
James Lacy, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2023
The primary bathroom also features a step-down shower with a view of the mountains.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2023
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Verb
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who also sits on Microsoft’s board, stepped down as an OpenAI director in March, citing a conflict of interest after starting a new AI start-up called Inflection AI that could compete with OpenAI.
—Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
In addition, OpenAI president Greg Brockman will step down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023
Greg Brockman will also step down as the chairman of OpenAI’s board of directors as part of the leadership change, but will remain in his role as President of the company.
—Kylie Robison, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
Additionally, Greg Brockman, who is the co-founder and president of OpenAI, will be stepping down as chairman of the board, but will remain in his role at the company.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Nov. 2023
Seidler purchased the Padres in 2012 and became chairman in November 2020 after his business partner Ron Fowler stepped down from the role.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
It was recently announced that the beloved editor would be stepping down from his role as editor-in-chief at British Vogue.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 14 Nov. 2023
The Ryzen 5 8600G will be a step down, with six Zen 4 CPU cores and a Radeon 760M with eight GPU compute units.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 13 Nov. 2023
Preview Subscribe Johnston succeeds Christine McCarthy, who stepped down in June to take a family medical leave, and who clashed with top executives over strategy issues, including how much money Disney spends on content, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
—Kristin Broughton, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023
Noun
Clean as a whistle and ready for occupancy, if a bit out of date, the condo’s many charms include original oak floorboards, period moldings, high, beamed ceilings, and a working fireplace in the step-down living room.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2023
The state helped launch four intensive psychiatric step-down programs, the first of their kind for foster youth in Texas.
—Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
From there, glassy doors on each side of the foyer open to a step-down living room sporting a stylish fireplace and two sets of French doors flowing out to an al fresco dining and lounging terrace, and spacious formal dining room.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2023
The project mined local boulders to create more natural step-down structures so fish, tubers and anglers can move freely up and down the stream.
—Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Aug. 2023
From there, a step-down living room sports hardwood floors, a baronial fireplace, and French doors spilling out to a balcony overlooking an eye-catching pool and spa.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 16 Aug. 2023
Inmates within the step-down program will be allowed access to TV, radio, commissary, and educational materials and services designed to help them with their rehabilitation.
—Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2023
Four bedrooms, four and a half baths, a step-down library adjoining the living room.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 31 Jan. 2023
Generally, that means picking the trail that’s least steep, doesn’t feature any large step-downs, or consists of wide, curving switchbacks instead of precipitous slopes.
—Alisha McDarris, Popular Science, 29 June 2023
Adjective
Some hospitals have a step-down unit, which provides an intermediate level of care that is less intense than the ICU while providing closer care than the regular unit.
—James Lacy, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2023
The primary bathroom also features a step-down shower with a view of the mountains.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'step down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Verb
1875, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1905, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to step down
Dictionary Entries Near step down
Cite this Entry
“Step down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/step%20down. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
step down
verb(ˈ)step-ˈdau̇n
1
: to lower the voltage of (a current) using a transformer
2
: to decrease or reduce especially by one or more steps
stepped down the volume
3
: resign sense 2, retire
will step down as chairman at the end of this year
step-down
adjective
-ˌdau̇n
Medical Definition
step-down
1 of 2 adjective
: providing or offering a reduced level of care or service
step-down drug rehab programs
specifically
: providing an intermediate level of care and monitoring especially for patients transitioning out of intensive care
Our group practice rotates us in 3-week stints through various critical and step-down units. —The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association step-down
2 of 2 noun
variants
or step down
: a decrease or reduction in size or amount
a dosage step-down
More from Merriam-Webster on step down
Nglish: Translation of step down for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of step down for Arabic Speakers
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