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 At first glance, the surface appears solid, but stepping onto a quaking bog feels like walking on a vast, trembling waterbed. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Young has dealt with addiction and mental health issues, which contributed to her stepping away from music to recover and come back stronger after collapsing on stage at All Things Go in 2025. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026 My mom has been telling me, ‘Please stop stepping on the back of your shoes’ my whole life. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 Feathers and strass brought to mind showgirls with their high-stepping can-do flair. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026 Instead, the team decided on a shade that alludes to the idea of stepping away from the mind-numbingly rapid social media trend cycle, and touching grass instead. — Kelly Dawson, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026 And many immigrants are staying in abusive relationships, fearful of calling for help or even stepping outside their homes. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping

Verb

In September, two girls from Skyview High protested by walking off the start line after the gun went off, and last week, about a dozen of his own teammates did the same thing.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
For Applegate, her previous diagnosis of MS had offered an explanation for her ongoing struggle with symptoms including tingling and numbness in her extremities, lack of coordination, balance issues and difficulty walking.

— Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of walking

Verb

The clips of the event that surfaced show male dancers in cowboy hats dancing and stripping on stage, reports the Daily Mail.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Sure, Jenna is a pro and Alan is a great partner, but chemistry takes time to build and still these two are dancing as a unit by Monday night.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of dancing

Verb

At each step in this chain, a portion of the electrons’ energy is siphoned off to pump protons across a membrane—Mitchell’s great insight—and the pressure of those protons rushing back through a molecular turbine is what makes ATP.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
After allowing four sacks and managing 33 rushing yards against the Bears, TCU ranks last in the Big 12 in rushing yards and sacks allowed.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of rushing

Verb

Pradasphere, the first permanent exhibition dedicated to Prada after earlier traveling iterations in 2014 in London and Hong Kong, and in 2023 in Shanghai, definitely reflects this cross-pollination of influences.

— Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Storms capable of causing hail and wind damage were traveling through central Arizona early Thursday, with some flood watches and the possibility of tornadoes, the National Weather Service said.

— Wufei Yu, Los Angeles Times, 22 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