variants
or step downs
also stepdowns
as in decreases
the amount by which something is lessened
took a huge step-down in income when she switched from a law career to one in social work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of step-downs
Some of the incumbent step-downs were due to the pursuit of a new job; in other cases, fresh initiatives dictated change.
—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
16 Feb. 2026
Men tend to age slowly with little step-downs, and women tend to have very sudden changes.
—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
27 Jan. 2026
Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics revisions show a sharp slowdown in payroll growth in the second quarter of 2025, with the biggest step-downs in low-wage industries such as retail, wholesale, leisure, and hospitality.
—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
13 Aug. 2025
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
16 Feb. 2026
Men tend to age slowly with little step-downs, and women tend to have very sudden changes.
—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
27 Jan. 2026
Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics revisions show a sharp slowdown in payroll growth in the second quarter of 2025, with the biggest step-downs in low-wage industries such as retail, wholesale, leisure, and hospitality.
—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for step-downs
Noun
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And Egypt’s Mohamed Salah’s tenure as a Liverpool player coincided with significant decreases in anti-Muslim hate crimes across the city.
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Local law enforcement have touted recent decreases in crime on the CTA in particular, which beefed up security staffing in December and again in March.
Noun
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This is because many people tolerate the early dose reductions fairly well but struggle more near the end of the taper because the brain becomes increasingly sensitive to serotonin changes at lower doses.
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Support for older adults in poverty Benefits that many low-income older Americans rely on are facing substantial reductions.
Noun
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Helitack crews – like the one from Rifle County – often parachute into remote areas and help coordinate water drops to extinguish the flames.
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That came on May 7 before a staggered series of price drops tempered by price-hike rebounds over the last seven weeks amid on-again and off-again peace talks in the Middle East.
Noun
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Oil prices extended declines on Friday as more tankers exited the Strait of Hormuz, easing supply concerns.
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The declines dragged Wall Street’s tech-heavy Nasdaq down by nearly 4% over five days to Wednesday, with chip-makers the worst affected.
Noun
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Watch for dents, broken springs, or light coming through, as these can strain parts and lead to bigger issues.
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That French idiom about having long teeth — les dents longues — can have negative connotations about a person’s ambitious streak.
Cite this Entry
“Step-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-downs. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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