1
as in walking
to go on foot
I stepped across the street for a quick lunch at the new diner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
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
3
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
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Recent Examples of stepping
The 53-year-old Japanese designer, who founded cult label Number (N)ine in 1997, is relaunching the brand 15 years after stepping away from it.
—
Ashley Ogawa Clarke, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Imagine stepping onto a quiet stretch of sand, your toes sinking into sugar-white powder, waves lapping gently at the shore, and sunlight sparkling across the turquoise Gulf waters.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
Most of them came after Austin defender Guilherme Biro drew an early red card in the 25th minute for stepping on the back of the leg of Charlotte’s Idan Toklomati, which meant Biro was ejected from the game and that Austin would only field 10 men the rest of the way.
—Scott Fowler
march 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
The All-Star point guard was helped off the court by two teammates late in the first half after stepping on Jokic’s foot.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
Murray continued working on Hawks broadcasts, though at a diminished workload, before stepping away entirely this season.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Murray continued working on Blackhawks broadcasts, though at a diminished workload, before stepping away entirely this season.
—CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Ross, before stepping onto ERNEST’s bus, sent his parents into the auditorium.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
International leaders are responding to the bombshell news overnight that Netflix is stepping away from the Warner Bros deal, paving the way for David Ellison to finally get his shiny new toy.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
Ashley Ogawa Clarke, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Imagine stepping onto a quiet stretch of sand, your toes sinking into sugar-white powder, waves lapping gently at the shore, and sunlight sparkling across the turquoise Gulf waters.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
Most of them came after Austin defender Guilherme Biro drew an early red card in the 25th minute for stepping on the back of the leg of Charlotte’s Idan Toklomati, which meant Biro was ejected from the game and that Austin would only field 10 men the rest of the way.
—Scott Fowler
march 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
The All-Star point guard was helped off the court by two teammates late in the first half after stepping on Jokic’s foot.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
Murray continued working on Hawks broadcasts, though at a diminished workload, before stepping away entirely this season.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Murray continued working on Blackhawks broadcasts, though at a diminished workload, before stepping away entirely this season.
—CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Ross, before stepping onto ERNEST’s bus, sent his parents into the auditorium.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
International leaders are responding to the bombshell news overnight that Netflix is stepping away from the Warner Bros deal, paving the way for David Ellison to finally get his shiny new toy.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping
Verb
-
Another, smaller girl in pinkish pants can be seen walking closely behind the girl in blue.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Since then, Spears has largely used Instagram to communicate with fans, frequently posting solo videos of herself dancing.—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Kate Middleton's busy day in Leicester, England, has so far included dancing with worshippers barefoot and paying subtle tribute (via her earrings) to her husband Prince William.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The energy of nearby Washington Square Park flowed inside the hotel, with business partners and the local university crowd rushing in and out between meetings and classes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
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One European Central Bank policymaker cautioned against rushing to action, but nevertheless said that the probability of the next move in interest rates being an increase rather than a cut had gone up, Bloomberg reported.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Carolyn was guarded about the revival of John, treading carefully.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Trump is treading on very dangerous ground potentially affecting our very existence.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
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Meza Gonzalez and David Christian, one of her attorneys, refused to answer questions from reporters about the plea agreement, hurrying down a flight of stairs at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.—
Megan Rodriguez,
San Antonio Express-News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In our roundup of travel news this week, why social bathhouses are a hot new wellness trend, the Portuguese chicken shop Chinese tourists are traveling thousands of miles to visit, plus travel chaos in the Middle East.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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At a Sheetz gas station equipped with high-resolution cameras, authorities spotted a car matching Shelia Eddy’s vehicle passing through around midnight—traveling in the direction of Blacksville.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The art market has its share of globe-trotting fairs but few glamorous female-centric industry events—until now.—
Vanessa Grigoriadis,
Vanity Fair,
10 Mar. 2026
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The globe-trotting political thriller's star, Claire Danes, will join forces with her old parter in crime-fighting, Damian Lewis, to present one of the evening's awards.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Keep reading to discover all the best fashion sneaker collaborations to scoop up this spring—they’re already flying.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
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According to Diio by Cirium data, the airline is flying more than 1,100 flights at the airport this month.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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