Definition of whole step
: a musical interval (such as C–D or C–B♭) comprising two half steps
— called also whole tone
Learn More About whole step
Statistics for whole step
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Whole step.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whole%20step. Accessed 23 May. 2022.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Test Your Vocabulary
Name That Color
-
- Name that color:
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
-
You're (Probably) Saying It Wrong
18 words even you might be mispronouncing
-
Great Big List of Beautiful & Useless Words
Along with their degrees of usefulness
-
12 French Phrases from Downton Abbey
Many of us have an 'idée fixe'
-
Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 2
Sometimes a 'cacafuego' can be a real 'slubberdeg...
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
The Great British Vocabulary Quiz
Make sure you know the difference between a loo a...
Take the quiz
-
Face Your Fears
Don't be scared to answer these questions about f...
Take the quiz
-
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz
"Most Likely to Use Obscure Words"
Take the quiz
-
Lexigo
Find the hidden words by solving the clues
Take the quiz
Share whole step
Time Traveler for whole step
The first known use of whole step was circa 1899
See more words from the same year