1
as in leaving
to give up (a job or office)
with the advent of his 90th birthday, he could no longer resist calls for him to step down from chairmanship of the board
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in resigning
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
even in the face of a palace revolt, Queen Elizabeth I refused to step down from the throne
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping down (from)
Verb
-
My father was running the skid steer outside, clearing the snow, leaving dirty white mounds to either side of the driveway that led from the house out to the range road.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026 -
Consequently, rising inflation has steadily eroded real purchasing power, leaving 59 percent of Americans without sufficient savings to absorb a minor financial shock, such as a $1,000 emergency.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Despite their steadfast opposition to the change, most in the college hockey world are resigning themselves to likely new reality.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
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Last fall, former Chief Floyd Mitchell openly criticized the stringent nature of federal court oversight while resigning from the department after just a year and a half on the job, leaving the agency searching for a new leader for at least the 10th time since 2015.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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Iranian media have emphasized that reopening the waterway to shipping does not mean Tehran is relinquishing its wartime claims over the strategic chokepoint.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
Verb
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They’d be upset about Article One of the Constitution, the legislative branch abdicating its powers; that is, the people’s power to wage war and to levy tariffs.—
KEN BURNS,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
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Dinello was right, and The Late Show eventually became late night’s ratings leader—a throne that CBS is now voluntarily abdicating.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Nicotine is among the most addictive substances known, altering the brain’s reward pathways and making quitting notoriously difficult.—
Kimberly McCreight,
Time,
3 June 2026
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Pollard, who’d been a first-round pick out of the University of Kansas in the 1998 NBA Draft, thought of quitting.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stepping down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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