1
as in visiting
to make a brief visit
I just stepped in to say hi on my way to class
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in standing in
to serve as a replacement usually for a time only
couldn't find anyone to step in for me so that I could take a break from my caregiving duties
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stepping in
The singer also missed one episode of The Voice in August after her ex-husband's death, with fellow American Idol vet Jennifer Hudson stepping in as a temporary coach for season 29.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
As seasoned workers retire, the next generation is not stepping in fast enough to replace them.
—Mark Rayfield, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Trotter’s wife, Tanya, echoes her husband’s enthusiasm and is even looking forward to stepping in the ring for some physicality, if needed.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2025
With New Mexico’s cannabis market at a crossroads, a new association is stepping in to rally businesses, push reforms, and help guide the industry’s future.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
But others did not blame the mother alone, instead criticizing the husband and even the child's aunt and grandparents for not stepping in.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
As seasoned workers retire, the next generation is not stepping in fast enough to replace them.
—Mark Rayfield, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Trotter’s wife, Tanya, echoes her husband’s enthusiasm and is even looking forward to stepping in the ring for some physicality, if needed.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2025
With New Mexico’s cannabis market at a crossroads, a new association is stepping in to rally businesses, push reforms, and help guide the industry’s future.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
But others did not blame the mother alone, instead criticizing the husband and even the child's aunt and grandparents for not stepping in.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stepping in
Verb
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One was visiting Ramallah and going through the checkpoint in Qalandia into Jerusalem.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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This appeal to nuance is perhaps a vestige of Tebow’s years visiting the Philippines, his birthplace, with his parents.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Financial roadblocks standing in the way Many are navigating a unique economic moment where both median home and rental prices, for example, have risen at a faster pace than wages for roughly two decades.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
31 Oct. 2025
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The moment, captured from inside the house through a window, shows the unsuspecting laborers standing in the trench as the canine drops the toy directly into their workspace.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If Calvados apple liqueur is unavailable for the glaze, substituting water works wonderfully.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
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Because of this, nutritionist Leticia Carrera, director of the center Felicidad Carrera, advises always eating pulses with brown rice and substituting the combination for meat two to three times a week—at least.—
Ana Morales,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Throughout the movie, Lanthimos doles out pieces of backstory in short, dreamlike sequences that unfurl in black and white, artfully filling in the blanks of Teddy’s particular interest in Michelle.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Good morning, tech reporter Beatrice Nolan here, filling in for Allie Garfinkle.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Videos circulating on social media showed dozens of students in school uniform running in panic across the school's basketball court, some covering their ears with their hands, apparently to protect themselves from the loud blasts.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Then a gunshot appeared to ring out, sending spectators running in the opposite direction.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Hard-throwing lefty reliever José Alvarado appeared to be taking over the full-time closer role early in the year, but in May, he got hit with an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Why some troops can't just get fitter Pete Hegseth has made fitness standards a major focus since taking over the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Got friends coming over for the game this weekend and there's so much to do?—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
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Both countries have also made real efforts to restrict fentanyl coming over the US border.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When playing within their own half, United adjust into a 5-4-1 with the No 10s dropping in to better protect central midfield.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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But this year Swift has a new album dropping in just a few weeks.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepping in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20in. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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