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
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
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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Those decreases have been offset by an increase in the amount of square footage owned by the state government.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Additionally, Peloton has experienced subscriber loss, with some quarters registering slight decreases in connected fitness memberships.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That marks a break from longstanding practice, as regulators have long relied on the VSL to value mortality reductions in regulatory cost-benefit analysis.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The disaster shook public confidence, led to speed reductions and temporarily paused construction on new lines, but no major incidents have been reported in the 15 years since, even as the network has continued to expand.—
Ben Jones,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Continue reading … PANIC PLAYBOOK – School board members slam 'fearmongering' over immigration as attendance drops.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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As the Universe expands and cools, the cross-section drops, and eventually, dark matter stops annihilating away or interacting with anything else in any appreciable way.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Like California, New York state has also seen production spend declines as studio slates have contracted.—
Erik Hayden,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Jan. 2026
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Those declines were sharper among more affluent households and younger shoppers, with a 7 percentage point year-over-year drop among households with an annual income of more than $100,000 and a 6 percentage point year-over-year fall among shoppers between the ages of 25 and 34, the survey found.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Uneven tire wear, low tire pressure, sidewall bulges or blisters and dents in wheel rims.—
Jim Gorzelany,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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One of these conditions involves any severe corrosion, dents, or cracks in the pipes.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-downs. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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