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
Relevance
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
-
This new dating trend is leaving people baffled and heartbroken.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026 -
Next, lift, don’t pour, the produce out of the bowl, leaving the dirt at the bottom.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Baik led Fairfax to a City Section Open Division title in 2019 before resigning shortly after.—
Tarek Fattal,
Daily News,
3 June 2026
-
No one here is happy about it, but in resigning, Bill proved one thing.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The mean probability of voluntarily quitting one’s job increased to the highest level in more than three years.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
-
According to the American College of Cardiology, first-line strategies for managing high blood pressure include quitting smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet, and increasing physical activity.—
Fran Kritz,
Verywell Health,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Loth promptly went out and took care of business, taking the lead early before briefly relinquishing it, then pulling away down the stretch.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2026
-
Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Stepping down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
