STEPPING DOWN (FROM) Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

stepping down (from)

verb

present participle of step down (from)

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Soon the village doctor is found murdered and the townsfolk turn on the boy, leaving the stranger as his only hope.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Inaccurate existing models Conventional power generation uses high-temperature steam to turn turbines, leaving vast amounts of low-temperature waste heat uncaptured.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of leaving

Verb

The 1989 Charlotte federal trial was pure spectacle Two years after resigning, Bakker was convicted in Charlotte on 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
Lee also announced Frank Strada, the commissioner of the Department of Correction, would be resigning later this month.

— Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of resigning

Verb

Kerr graduated from high school in Reno and played baseball at Mendocino College in Northern California for two years before quitting the sport.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
After his first game, a 13-4 thrashing in the Swansea Senior League, Wright considered quitting.

— Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of quitting

Verb

And now, after its award-winning world premiere in the Next Wave competition at Fantastic Fest and a major screening at Zurich Film Festival, Schulman is slowly but surely relinquishing control.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
One panel was falling, then smashing on the path, lead relinquishing its long grip on the glass.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of relinquishing

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.

Browse Nearby Words

stepping down

stepping down (from)

stepping in

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Stepping down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of stepping down (from)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abscond

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes