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
When the vehicle began to move forward slowly, another agent standing in front of the SUV drew a firearm and fired at least two shots through the windshield while stepping backward.
—
Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Customers today research extensively before stepping inside.
—Parin Moradiya, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
As the teams were leaving the court after the game, the forwards briefly exchanged words, with Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox stepping between them in an attempt to deescalate the situation.
—Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Gen Z is already stepping away from alcohol.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Catch Me Up helps users re-enter work after stepping away.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
In the case of cumbia, stepping on the brakes opened up space for reflection, played tricks with time, maybe even jammed a wrench in the gears of history.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Rest assured, stepping back does not mean stepping away.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Maybe, but part of what’s refreshing about French’s ongoing press tour about quitting the group is her insistence that stepping away from this situation isn’t actually a bad thing.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Customers today research extensively before stepping inside.
—Parin Moradiya, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
As the teams were leaving the court after the game, the forwards briefly exchanged words, with Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox stepping between them in an attempt to deescalate the situation.
—Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Gen Z is already stepping away from alcohol.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Catch Me Up helps users re-enter work after stepping away.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
In the case of cumbia, stepping on the brakes opened up space for reflection, played tricks with time, maybe even jammed a wrench in the gears of history.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Rest assured, stepping back does not mean stepping away.
—The Deadline Team, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Maybe, but part of what’s refreshing about French’s ongoing press tour about quitting the group is her insistence that stepping away from this situation isn’t actually a bad thing.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping
Verb
-
Refrain from entering water that might carry an electric current and avoid walking through floodwaters.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Running back Waymond Jordan, who is out due to an ankle injury, was seen walking on the sideline just before kickoff and celebrated with the team on the sidelines when Jayden Maiava connected with Makai Lemon for the first touchdown of the evening.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Large crowds of onlookers were treated to a performance of boxing and dancing on the show floor.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The images show vivid auroras dancing overhead and a fox below who seems far more interested in the photographer than the light show unfolding above.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The rushing defense is one of the worst in the league.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Most of the time, our road crews have us up and running by the next day, so rushing for a winter storm seems sort of silly.—
Ray Petelin,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Loons have been, at best, treading water over the past month, and the veteran Trapp knows no one is going to throw them a life preserver.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
26 Oct. 2025
-
For now, economic heavyweights California and New York are treading water but could easily tip the scales.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But one weekend in November, people who would typically be hurrying by, staring down at their phones, stopped.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
-
Butler began hurrying Boise State and pushing up the tempo, which allowed the Broncos to score off several backdoor cuts and slip screens for big dunks and layups at the rim.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The Legion Pro Rollable lets players train in conditions closer to tournament play, even while traveling.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Santa Rosa Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to multiple reports of a shooting at the mall and found a 15-year-old boy who had been shot, with the bullet traveling through his body, leaving entry and exit wounds in his upper shoulder and mid-back area.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Apollo is still trotting on the spot.—
James Vincent,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Zosia and Carol’s globe-trotting romance took a dark turn in Big Sky, Montana, when Carol learned that Zosia and the rest of the Joined were nearing completion on another method to turn her into one of them.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Hall was in net when Boston's Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that's among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
While some travelers praise the trend for reducing stress and avoiding baggage fees, others say flying without bags is unrealistic for longer trips or work travel.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stepping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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