step down

1 of 3

verb

stepped down; stepping down; steps down

intransitive verb

: 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

… the general would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

—Brian Duffy et al.

transitive verb

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

2

: 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

step-down

2 of 3

noun

ˈstep-ˌdau̇n 

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

That 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

step-down

3 of 3

adjective

1

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

Synonyms

Verb

• bag
• chuck
• leave
• quit
• resign (from)
• retire (from)
• step aside (from)

Noun

• abatement
• decline
• decrease
• decrement
• dent
• depletion
• depression
• diminishment
• diminution
• drop
• drop-off
• fall
• falloff
• loss
• reduction
• shrinkage

Examples of step down in a Sentence

Verb

with the advent of his 90th birthday, he could no longer resist calls for him to step down from chairmanship of the board

even in the face of a palace revolt, Queen Elizabeth I refused to step down from the throne

Noun

took a huge step-down in income when she switched from a law career to one in social work

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Amid turmoil in the federal government workforce, the CIO with control over some of the nation’s most critical data is stepping down. —Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Photo : Brandon Larson - Clarity Northwest Photography The lounge is two steps down from the dining area. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2025

Noun

The step-down great room has one of the home’s five fireplaces and French doors that open out to the backyard’s ample stone terrace with alfresco dining and lounge areas. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2025

Photo : Jo David for Sotheby’s International Realty The step-down living room. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for step down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

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

-ˌdau̇n

adjective

Medical Definition

step-down

1 of 2 adjective

ˈstep-ˌdau̇n 

: 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

step-down

2 of 2 noun

variants or step down

: a decrease or reduction in size or amount

a dosage step-down