STEPPING Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

stepping

verb

present participle of step

as in walking

to go on foot I stepped across the street for a quick lunch at the new diner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in dancing

to perform a series of usually rhythmic bodily movements to music she was in her element, happily stepping around the dance floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in rushing

to proceed or move quickly many people wanted to linger before the president's bier, but guards kept the line of mourners stepping forward

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 stepping That path from leading man to auteur is a familiar one in Hollywood, with notables like Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner establishing themselves as major directors without stepping away from leading in their own films. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 Cleveland Clinic suggests capping continuous phone or tablet sessions at about 15 to 30 minutes before stepping away. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 This October, the nonprofit LUMA8’s Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade returns to its original location along Columbus Drive for its 12th year, with the parade stepping off at Balbo Drive and marching north through Jackson Boulevard. — Doug George, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 The officer on the passenger side drew his weapon; the officer on the driver's side grabbed onto the top of the driver's side window, according to the complaint, instead of stepping away from the car. — Sabrina Franza, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Waking up and stepping from your bed to dive into the sea from your private deck is sublime. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 McCarthy does take some liberties by occasionally stepping away from the conference sessions to show us the participants in a more relaxed mode, speaking off the cuff, sometimes even arguing in more direct fashion. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026 That said, the accusations of stepping on her toes and stealing her daughter-in-law away from her don’t hold much water. — R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026 For Ovechkin, the decision was between stepping away from the league or returning to the Capitals. — Danielle Allentuck, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping

Verb

The actor and his wife, singer Dua Lipa, are frequently spotted walking their actual dog, a Labrador-Rottweiler named Golo.

— Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
On the real robot, the team demonstrated walking, following a person with the camera and standing up from lying face down.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of walking

Verb

Videos posted on social media showed a torrent of water rushing through a street near the Las Vegas Strip, with a Ferris wheel and casinos in the background.

— JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
With air rushing back in to fill the region as the trough of lower pressure disappears, wind will gust 15-20 mph across the Central Valley and foothills later Tuesday afternoon and evening to fill the void.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rushing

Verb

The festival also reflected the growing importance of music tourism, with international audiences increasingly traveling for experiences that combine music, culture and destination.

— Peony Hirwani, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
Maya runs away from her pain by traveling the world, first to Portugal and then to London and Japan, but an unexpected romance forces her to confront her past and realize that there may be more than one love of her life.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of traveling

Verb

For well-heeled, globe-trotting diners, Noma offered an escape from modernity and the sensation of communing with something more elemental and earthbound.

— Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Jeon Do-yeon, who plays the family’s matriarch, is colorfully slinky as a globe-trotting party widow, a vain, compulsively seductive narcissist who macks on her daughters’ men like a Real Housewife given a villain’s edit.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of trotting

Verb

Almost all of the birds on Palmyra Atoll rely on the ocean, flying out to sea daily to feed on fish or squid, bringing some back for their young.

— Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
Six Flags Great Adventure via Facebook While riding Nitro, riders can see the Philadelphia skyline for a glimpse before flying down a 215-foot drop.

— Nikki DeMentri, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026