Synonyms of stepping

stepping

verb

present participle of step

1

as in walking

to go on foot

I stepped across the street for a quick lunch at the new diner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• walking
• treading
• strolling
• wandering
• ambulating
• marching
• padding
• traipsing
• sauntering
• striding
• shuffling
• trotting
• hiking
• footing (it)
• stomping
• tiptoeing
• pacing
• legging (it)
• trekking
• promenading
• parading
• trampling
• trooping
• ambling
• hoofing (it)
• tapping
• stumbling
• trudging
• prancing
• hobbling
• stepping out
• clumping
• limping
• mincing
• stumping
• strutting
• waddling
• lurching
• moseying
• stalking
• toddling
• power walking
• tramping
• rambling
• perambulating
• faltering
• swaggering
• tripping
• staggering
• scuffing
• sashaying
• plodding
• shambling
• gimping
• bouncing
• tromping
• peregrinating
• pussyfooting
• pounding
• footslogging
• lumbering
• nipping

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

• dancing
• shuffling
• strutting
• prancing
• footing (it)
• waltzing
• hoofing (it)
• treading
• tripping
• shaking a leg
• tap-dancing
• bopping
• tripping the light fantastic
• shimmying
• jigging
• shagging
• boogying
• jiving
• tangoing
• jitterbugging
• twisting
• fox-trotting
• mamboing
• polkaing
• gavotting

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

• rushing
• hurrying
• traveling
• trotting
• flying
• scurrying
• speeding
• driving
• jumping
• racing
• zipping
• chasing
• running
• scooting
• buzzing
• blowing
• darting
• scuttling
• dashing
• tearing
• blasting
• ripping
• zooming
• ramming
• bolting
• whirling
• hustling
• blazing
• shooting
• jogging
• bowling
• hurling
• barreling
• hurtling
• hastening
• humping
• haring
• careening
• rustling
• careering
• pelting
• nipping
• whisking
• breezing
• bundling
• bustling
• rocketing
• jetting
• cracking (on)
• galloping
• belting
• coursing
• motoring
• hying
• beating it
• cannonballing
• bombing
• highballing
• stepping on it
• flitting
• scampering
• getting a move on
• making tracks
• shaking a leg
• sprinting
• accelerating
• scuffling
• streaking
• whizzing
• hotfooting (it)
• scudding
• stampeding
• stepping out
• quickening
• overtaking
• outrunning
• beetling
• outpacing
• outstripping
• catching up
• beelining
• arrowing
• fast-forwarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawling
• creeping
• dragging
• poking
• lingering
• hanging (around or out)
• poking
• lagging
• shuffling
• strolling
• loitering
• dawdling
• sauntering
• ambling
• plodding
• dallying
• lumbering
• decelerating
• slowing (down or up)
• tarrying
• dillydallying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stepping

The mom-of-two—who shares 9-year-old twins Ella and Alexander with husband George Clooney—could be seen shaking hands with students, addressing a group of children, and stepping outside a building with a beverage in hand. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026

The most challenging aspect of her decision was the timing — stepping away as the team reaches new heights in terms of chemistry and momentum. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

In Russia's Oymyakon, for example, just stepping outside is an act of endurance. — Hana Al-Khodairi, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026

But this crop of Chuck Princes seems willing to consider stepping off the dance floor. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026

But only minutes after stepping away from the smoker on Friday afternoon, Webb returned and noticed some missing meat. — J.d. Miles, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Among them is Sharna Burgess, who was a pro for several years and a one-time Mirrorball winner before stepping away in 2021, and partner Tyler Cameron. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026

Oscar nominee Salma Hayek Pinault is stepping behind the camera. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

From ice vibrations to magnetic signals, researchers are finding new ways to collect Arctic data without stepping onto the ice. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026