/ step; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
MOVEMENT / SOUND
1.
[ C ] the act of lifting your foot and putting it down in order to walk or move somewhere; the sound this makes :
a baby's first steps
He took a step towards the door.
We heard steps outside.
—see also footstep , goose-step
WAY OF WALKING
2.
[ C , usually sing. ] the way that sb walks :
He walked with a quick light step.
DISTANCE
3.
[ C ] the distance that you cover when you take a step :
It's only a few steps further.
He turned around and retraced his steps (= went back the way he had come) .
She moved a step closer to me.
The hotel is only a short step from the beach.
IN SERIES / PROCESS
4.
[ C ] one of a series of things that you do in order to achieve sth :
This was a first step towards a united Europe.
It's a big step giving up your job and moving halfway across the world.
We are taking steps to prevent pollution.
This won't solve the problem but it's a step in the right direction .
The new drug is a major step forward in the treatment of the disease.
5.
[ C ] one of a series of things that sb does or that happen, which forms part of a process
SYN stage :
Having completed the first stage, you can move on to step 2.
I'd like to take this idea a step further .
This was a big step up (= to a better position) in his career.
I'll explain it to you step by step .
a step-by-step guide to building your own home
STAIR
6.
[ C ] a surface that you put your foot on in order to walk to a higher or lower level, especially one of a series :
She was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase.
We walked down some stone steps to the beach.
A short flight of steps led up to the door.
—picture at stepladder
—see also doorstep
IN DANCE
7.
[ C , usually pl. ] a series of movements that you make with your feet and which form a dance
—see also quickstep
EXERCISE
8.
[ U ] (often in compounds) a type of exercise that you do by stepping on and off a raised piece of equipment :
step aerobics
a step class
LADDER
9.
steps [ pl. ] ( BrE ) a stepladder :
a pair of steps
We need the steps to get into the attic.
IN MUSIC
10.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) the interval between two notes that are next to each other in a scale
—compare tone (7), semitone
•
IDIOMS
- break step
- fall into step (beside / with sb)
- in / out of step (with sb/sth)
- mind / watch your step
- one step forward, two steps back
- a / one step ahead (of sb/sth)
- a / one step at a time
■ verb
( -pp- ) [ v + adv. / prep. ] to lift your foot and move it in a particular direction or put it on or in sth; to move a short distance :
to step onto / off a bus
I stepped forward when my name was called out.
She stepped aside to let them pass.
We stepped carefully over the broken glass.
I turned around quickly and stepped on his toes.
( figurative )
Going into the hotel is like stepping back in time.
•
IDIOMS
- step into the breach
- step into sb's shoes
- step on it
- step on sb's toes
- step out of line | be / get out of line
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- step aside / down
- step back (from sth)
- step forward
- step in
- step out
- step up
- step sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English stæpe , stepe (noun), stæppan , steppan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch steppen and German stapfen .