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
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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
-
Property valuations can vary, and that means homeowners typically see a range of increases or decreases in their tax statements.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Most of the severe declines happened in rural areas, although urban counties like San Francisco and Los Angeles also saw decreases.—
Kristen Hwang,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The system also offers the potential for major cost reductions compared to other photoreforming approaches, as the reusable acid boosts hydrogen production rates.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
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Advocates warn the reductions could disrupt or cancel dozens of missions spanning planetary science, astrophysics and Earth observation — areas overseen by NASA's Science Mission Directorate.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The first three months of the year saw disparate trends in violence within the Chicago Police Department’s five patrol areas, records show, with a mixed bag of increases and further drops.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The morning began with moderate losses for Wall Street following drops for Asian and European stocks.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The declines were concentrated among men in their 20s and 30s, women between ages 20 and 24, and men over 55.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Most of the severe declines happened in rural areas, although urban counties like San Francisco and Los Angeles also saw decreases.—
Kristen Hwang,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Inspectors will seek out all sidewalk cracks that are at least half an inch tall or more than an inch wide and all dents and defects that are two inches wide and one inch deep, according to the staff report.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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After two of my three test trips, small dents had appeared in the shell.—
Charley Ward,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-downs. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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