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
-
Many hundreds of millions of public and philanthropic dollars have been flowing into CVI (although The Free Press story feels dated to us, in terms of the significant recent decreases in federal and state funds applied to these initiatives).—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The years since have seen decreases in the number of overdose deaths.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The funding is ongoing while Colorado challenges the policy in court, but if reductions are made permanent, Mahanan predicts a wave of day care closures, almost overnight.—
Shay Castle,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Dell said in its 10-K that fiscal 2026 headcount reductions stemmed from employee reorganizations, limits on external hiring, and other cost-alignment measures tied to its business modernization efforts.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The median decline was 25%, and four stores saw drops significantly steeper than that.—
April Quevedo,
jsonline.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Health precautions If air quality drops, stay indoors as much as possible.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Des Moines Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Recent easing failed to prevent spending declines in several consumer categories.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
However, the declines are minimal versus their two-year runs.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This can include scratches, dents, chipped paint and even mismatched units if your warranty coverage leads to a replacement that doesn’t match your other appliances.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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When golf-ball-sized hail and 60 mph winds slammed the east coast of Florida in May, Chris Jadin came home to a truck covered in dents and glass all over the floor of his house, his skylight shattered by the falling ice.—
Scott Pham,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-downs. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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