STEP DOWN (FROM) Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

step down (from)

verb

Definition of step down (from)

as in to leave

to give up (a job or office) with the advent of his 90th birthday, he could no longer resist calls for him to step down from chairmanship of the board

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to resign

to give up (as a position of authority) formally even in the face of a palace revolt, Queen Elizabeth I refused to step down from the throne

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for step down (from)

Verb

Composer Ghulam Mohammed died in 1968 after writing the songs, leaving Naushad to complete the background score.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
The collection launches with Seeded Natural, an unbleached, undyed fabric that leaves the cotton’s own seeds visible in the weave.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of leave

Verb

Big banks made changes to overdraft fees and fraud protections following previous testimony, for example, while former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf abruptly resigned in 2016 after stumbling during hearings on the bank’s fake accounts scandal.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
Guilfoyle confirmed her exit in a post on X, shortly after the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, told reporters that the administration had asked her to resign.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of resign

Verb

Moon, meanwhile, is struggling at school but on the precipice of adulthood; as the young woman begins to make her own decisions in life, Yue must relinquish a degree of maternal responsibility.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
With all the characters in the show, but with Margaret in particular, there’s this exploration of losing control, taking control and relinquishing control.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of relinquish

Verb

After both sisters had abdicated planning the memorial, logistical matters—the casket and its transport, the readings, and, yes, the flowers—had fallen to the front desk volunteer of a church my grandmother no longer attended.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Now, the Department has decided that obedience supersedes all else, requiring us to abdicate our legal and ethical obligations in favor of directions from Washington.

— Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of abdicate

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step-down

step down (from)

step-downs

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“Step down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of step down (from)

verb

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