step

1 an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result took steps to ensure that there would be no more incidences of food poisoning Synonyms expedient, means, move, shift, measureRelated Words act, action, deed, doing, feat, thing; course, procedure, proceeding, process; accomplishment, achievement, attainment, coup, exploit, success, triumph; activity, affair, business, dealing, enterprise, event; attempt, crack, endeavor, essay, fling, go, initiative, operation, pass, shot, stab, trial, try, undertaking, whack; effort, exertion, labor, pains, trouble, while, work; project, proposal, proposition; makeshift, resort, resource, stopgap; countermeasure, countermove, counterstep

2 an individual part of a process, series, or ranking the manual enumerates every step in the procedure for shutting down the assembly line Synonyms chapter, cut, grade, inch, notch, peg, phase, place, point, stage, degreeRelated Words angle, aspect, facet, side; amount, measure, plane; decrement, increment

3 the mark or impression made by a foot steps in the sand leading into the water and back out again Synonyms footmark, footstep, footprint, trace, vestigeRelated Words hoofprint; pug, spoor, track; tread

4 steps pl  the direction along which something or someone moves their steps led them through a long corridor Synonyms course, line, pathway, route, routeway [chiefly British], steps, track, wayRelated Words circle, circuit, loop, orbit; arc, flight path, trajectory; ascent, descent

5 a very small distance or degree he lives just a step away from his elderly mother, so he's there if she needs him for any reason Synonyms ace, hairbreadth (or hairsbreadth), hairline, hop, skip, and jump, inch, neck, shouting distance, hair, stone's throwRelated Words bit, crumb, dab, iota, jot, minim, mite, particle, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), trace, trifleNear Antonyms infinity, light-yearAntonyms country mile, long haul, mile

1 to go on foot I stepped across the street for a quick lunch at the new diner Synonyms ambulate, foot (it), hoof (it), leg (it), pad, walk, traipse, treadRelated Words parade, promenade; march, pace, step out, stride, troop; power walk; hike, peregrinate, trek; amble, mosey, perambulate, ramble, saunter, stroll, wander; clump, stomp, stump, tramp, trample, tromp; footslog, plod, trudge; gimp, hobble, limp; mince, prance, pussyfoot, tiptoe; bounce, sashay, stalk, strut, swagger; falter, lumber, lurch, pound, scuff, shamble, shuffle, stagger, stumble, toddle, waddle; nip, tap, trip, trot

2 to perform a series of usually rhythmic bodily movements to music she was in her element, happily stepping around the dance floor Synonyms foot (it), hoof (it), danceRelated Words prance, strut, trip; boogie (also boogy or boogey), bop, fox-trot, gavotte, jig, jitterbug, jive, mambo, polka, shag, shimmy, shuffle, tango, tap-dance, twist, waltz; tread

3 to proceed or move quickly many people wanted to linger before the president's bier, but guards kept the line of mourners stepping forward Synonyms barrel, belt, blast, blaze, blow, bolt, bomb [slang], bowl, breeze, bundle, bustle, buzz, cannonball, careen, career, chase, course, crack (on), dash, drive, fly, hare, hasten, hie, highball, hotfoot (it), hump, hurl, hurtle, hustle, jet, jump, motor, nip, pelt, race, ram, rip, rocket, run, rush, rustle, scoot, scurry, scuttle, shoot, speed, hurry, tear, travel, trot, whirl, whisk, zip, zoomRelated Words beetle, dart, flit, scamper, scud, scuffle; stampede, streak, whiz (or whizz); gallop, jog, sprint; accelerate, quicken, step out; catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake; arrow, beelineNear Antonyms dally, dawdle, dillydally, drag, hang (around or out), lag, linger, loiter, poke, tarry; amble, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stroll; decelerate, slow (down or up)Antonyms crawl, creep, poke