1
as in leaves
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 resigns
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 steps down (from)
Verb
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Her early death, after an illness that the father initially contrives to ignore then notices just in time to capture her desperation in a fine sketch, leaves Mimí utterly disoriented, yearning only to achieve a level of self-control and detachment that will spare him their tumultuous struggle.—
Tim Parks,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026 -
Her departure to the transfer portal leaves a significant gap in Missouri’s scoring and playmaking.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If the president dies, resigns, or becomes incapacitated, the vice president will serve as interim president for the remainder of the seven-year tenure.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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When General Lee demands Jamie report for duty and leave Claire behind, Jamie resigns from the army by way of a blood note.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Could this be the anarchic mind that emerges when the ego relinquishes its hold?—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
-
If a player chooses not to negotiate with the Panthers, that player will be unable to sign elsewhere, unless Carolina relinquishes his rights by not offering him a tender.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When the state abdicates its duty, the people must step in.—
William Morris,
Des Moines Register,
17 Mar. 2026
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When the federal government abdicates its responsibility for public health, states, localities, and communities of experts can still try to fill the void.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So this little bit of mobile history was not destroyed, and the teardown gives us a good look at how LG was hoping to attract new customers before calling it quits.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 Apr. 2026
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Claire Foy stars as Polly, an electronic engineer who quits her job rather than work on a smart fridge that gathers data on its owners.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Steps down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steps%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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