Meaning & Definition of Step in English

1. Any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

• "The situation called for strong measures"

• "The police took steps to reduce crime"

2. The distance covered by a step

• "He stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig"

3. The act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down

• "He walked with unsteady steps"

4. Support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway

• "He paused on the bottom step"

5. Relative position in a graded series

• "Always a step behind"

• "Subtle gradations in color"

• "Keep in step with the fashions"

6. A short distance

• "It's only a step to the drugstore"

7. The sound of a step of someone walking

• "He heard footsteps on the porch"

8. A musical interval of two semitones

9. A mark of a foot or shoe on a surface

• "The police made casts of the footprints in the soft earth outside the window"

10. A solid block joined to the beams in which the heel of a ship's mast or capstan is fixed

11. A sequence of foot movements that make up a particular dance

• "He taught them the waltz step"

1. Shift or move by taking a step

• "Step back"

2. Put down or press the foot, place the foot

• "For fools rush in where angels fear to tread"

• "Step on the brake"

3. Cause (a computer) to execute a single command

4. Treat badly

• "This boss abuses his workers"

• "She is always stepping on others to get ahead"

5. Furnish with steps

• "The architect wants to step the terrace"

6. Move with one's feet in a specific manner

• "Step lively"

7. Walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner

• "Step over to the blackboard"

8. Place (a ship's mast) in its step

9. Measure (distances) by pacing

• "Step off ten yards"

10. Move or proceed as if by steps into a new situation

• "She stepped into a life of luxury"

• "He won't step into his father's footsteps"