1
as in to leave
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 to resign
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 step down (from)
Verb
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In The History of Sound, Mescal plays Lionel Worthing, a talented singer from rural Kentucky who leaves his family farm to attend the Boston Music Conservatory.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025 -
Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At least three senior CDC leaders have resigned citing Kennedy's leadership and vaccine policy.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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In July, an AI company CEO and HR executive were forced to resign after being filmed cuddling on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts; both were married to other people.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After Israel’s total aid blockade began in March, Gazans began staging anti-Hamas protests in the northern part of the strip, calling for the immediate entry of aid and for Hamas to relinquish power.—
Leila Seurat,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Aug. 2025
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More importantly they were shocked and saddened to hear what was happening, so intervened quickly, speaking to staff on the phone to confirm their desire to relinquish ownership of Mochi.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When in a turn of events, Theo abdicates from his position as Duke of Tintagel, and would therefore be divorcing Nan to be with Lizzie, Nan runs away to protect her baby, who would be the heir of Tintagel.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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So far, however, Trump’s allies in Congress have almost wholly abdicated this role, and although lower courts have issued injunctions against some of the administration’s actions and policies, the Supreme Court has repeatedly found ways to expand executive power.—
MICHAEL JOHNSTON,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This back-to-school season, PEOPLE spoke to Shelly Gates, a Mississippi mom who quit her job as an elementary school teacher to design dorm rooms full-time.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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In the rivalry game at CSU-Pueblo, the Cyclones took an 18-7 lead into halftime, but the Hornets didn’t quit.—
Matt Schubert,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Step down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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