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
-
It’s known that the body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12 decreases with age, and people 75 and older are at higher risk of deficiency.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
9 Mar. 2026
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Metro Transit police saw a second consecutive year of decreases to the most serious crimes in 2025, and is staffed with 118 officers out of an authorized 171, according to the department.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The changes were slight — reductions of just one-tenth of a second and one-half of a mile to a solar lap spanning two years and hundreds of millions of miles, according to the scientists.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Economic planners singled out steelmaking and oil refining at the opening of the national legislative session on Thursday with promises of orderly reductions in capacity.—
Bloomberg News,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Napping drops with age to 47% of preschoolers (ages 3 to 5) and 28% of school-age children (6 to 13).—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Mix a few drops of one of the oils, two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid, and two cups of water in a spray bottle.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After posting the fastest sales growth among major automakers in Europe last year, Renault’s performance has fallen off a cliff in 2026, with stark declines in several markets in January and February.—
Albertina Torsoli,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Saudi Aramco’s shares rose the most in more than two years as investors bet that the rise in oil prices could offset declines in exports, Bloomberg reported.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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 Feb. 2026
-
Beater bars can be too harsh for wood flooring and cause surface scratches, while some vacuum wheels can cause dents due to their weight.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step-downs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-downs. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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