1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for step down (from)
Verb
-
He was charged with felony counts of leaving the scene of crash involving death, driving without a license causing death and resisting arrest, the sheriff’s office said.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025 -
Investigators said that parties involved in the argument were leaving the indoor amusement park when Reed assaulted an employee, unprovoked, while making his way outside.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At least three senior CDC leaders have resigned citing Kennedy's leadership and vaccine policy.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In July, an AI company CEO and HR executive were forced to resign after being filmed cuddling on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts; both were married to other people.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In May 2025, Kraft Heinz announced a strategic review aimed at unlocking shareholder value, and Berkshire Hathaway relinquished its board seats, signaling potential structural changes.—
Joe Cornell,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Shortly after Rose took the helm at the pageant, both Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava relinquished their titles.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The federal government has functionally abdicated its role in keeping Americans safe from dangerous illness.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
-
This isn't about abdicating responsibility.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Then the key to Finnish success in reducing homelessness is the housing-first model, where the logic is that you're not required to quit using alcohol or narcotics.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Growing economic uncertainty has kept workers from quitting their jobs and has led businesses to slow down hiring decisions, experts say.—
Ana Teresa Solá,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Step down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share