1
as in means
an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result
took steps to ensure that there would be no more incidences of food poisoning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in stage
an individual part of a process, series, or ranking
the manual enumerates every step in the procedure for shutting down the assembly line
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
5
as in inch
a very small distance or degree
he lives just a step away from his elderly mother, so he's there if she needs him for any reason
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of step
In addition to credit monitoring, Budington recommended that victims take extra steps to secure their bank accounts and lock down any other online accounts where their SSN might be used for authentication.
—
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026
White retired from professional cooking in 1999 and took the unconventional step of handing his three stars back and has since become a vocal critic of the Michelin star system.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 June 2026
Wearable wellness tech has moved beyond step counters and sleep trackers.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Small steps can be packaged as major progress.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for step
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026
White retired from professional cooking in 1999 and took the unconventional step of handing his three stars back and has since become a vocal critic of the Michelin star system.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 June 2026
Wearable wellness tech has moved beyond step counters and sleep trackers.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026
Small steps can be packaged as major progress.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for step
Recent Examples of Synonyms for step
Noun
-
He was indicted on three counts -- destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
-
Adding a healthy twist to the magical premise, powers in Dragon Striker are meant to be employed for athletic means.—
Allison McClain Merrill,
Parents,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Yao was discussing the next stage of AI development on-stage Friday with Tencent’s Cloud executive Dowson Tong at the company’s event in Beijing co-organized with local authorities.—
Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
-
The movie is a straightforward and durable adaptation — Jolie’s electric performance won her an Oscar — but bringing the material to the stage has allowed a more fungible approach to the material, to both capture what happened to Kaysen and express what was flowing through her mind.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Bieber, a model and wife of pop star Justin Bieber, launched the makeup brand in June 2022, following in the footsteps of other celebrity entrepreneurs such as Rihanna with Fenty Beauty and Kylie Jenner with Rare Kylie Cosmetics.—
Bailey Allen,
The Providence Journal,
4 June 2026
-
The Cammino di San Nilo is an ancient eight-day trail through Cilento National Park, following the footsteps of Saint Nilo of Rossano, a Greco-Italian monk from the 11th century.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Fleur and Caroline put innumerable noses out of joint on their paths to creative and intellectual fulfillment; lovers become dejected, friendships are left to go cold, and each woman’s devotion to her work is viewed with resentment and suspicion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
That means that the planets appear just a handful of degrees above or below the sun's apparent path through the sky, called the ecliptic.—
Doris Elin Urrutia,
Space.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The Department of Public Works (DPW) said the 8-inch water main break along the 7300 block of Waldman Avenue has been assigned to a contractor for repairs.—
Janay Reece,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
Smokybrown cockroaches are about 1 to 1 ¼ inches long as adults and are brown in color.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The Russian measures prompted von der Leyen to announce Thursday that the 27-nation bloc would send 50 million euros ($58 million) to support Armenia.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
City Council members are considering a ballot measure that would ask voters to amend the city charter so the city attorney reports directly to the council rather than the city manager.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
That new chapter quickly turned into a full-fledged sequel, and Girls Like Us was born.—
Jennifer Dugan,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
-
The next chapter of this country will be written the same way the first was.—
Keith Krach,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
The group, including Spain, Cape Verde and Uruguay, poses a simpler pathway for Saudi Arabia to advance than in years past.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
9 June 2026
-
Reducing weight also reduces the pathways by which obesity fuels cancer, explains Bernard Fuemmeler, associate director of population science at the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and a co-author of the breast cancer study and the colorectal cancer study presented at ASCO.—
Lori Youmshajekian,
Scientific American,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
