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   step

   /stɛp/

   noun

   • 1. an act or movement of putting one leg in front of the other in walking or running: "Ron took a step back" Similar pacefootstepstridefootstepfootfalltreadtramp
   • ▪ the distance covered by a step: "Richard came a couple of steps nearer"
   • ▪ a person's particular way of walking: "she left the room with a springy step" Similar gaitwalkway of walkingtreadbearingcarriage
   • ▪ each of the sequences of movement of the feet which make up a dance.
   • ▪ a short or easily walked distance: "the market is only a short step from the lake" Similar short distancestone's throwspitting distanceinformal:a hop, skip, and a jump
   • 2. a flat surface, especially one in a series, on which to place one's foot when moving from one level to another: "the bottom step of the staircase" Similar stairtreadtread boardstairsstaircasestairwaystoop
   • ▪ a doorstep: "there was a pint of milk on the step" Similar doorstepsill
   • ▪ a rung of a ladder. Similar rungtread
   • ▪ a stepladder: British "the steps are in the outhouse"
   • ▪ step aerobics: "a step class"
   • ▪ a foothold cut in a slope of ice.
   • 3. a measure or action, especially one of a series taken in order to deal with or achieve a particular thing: "developers must take steps to reassure local people that their voices will be heard" Similar course of actionmeasuremoveactactionprocedureproceedinginitiativemanoeuvretacticstrategystratagemoperationdémarche
   • ▪ a stage in a gradual process: "sales are up, which is a step in the right direction" Similar advanceprogressiondevelopmentstep in the right directionstep forwardmovemovementbreakthrough
   • ▪ a particular position or grade on an ascending or hierarchical scale: "the first step on the managerial ladder" Similar stagelevelgraderankdegreephasenotch
   • 4. an interval in a scale; a tone (whole step) or semitone (half step). North American
   • 5. an abrupt change in the value of a quantity, especially voltage.
   • 6. a block fixed to a boat's keel in order to take the base of a mast or other fitting.

   verb

   • 1. lift and set down one's foot or one foot after the other in order to walk somewhere or move to a new position: "Claudia tried to step back" Similar walkmovetreadpacestridetreadstamptrampletrampsquashcrushflatten
   • ▪ used as a polite or deferential way of asking someone to walk a short distance for a particular purpose: "please step this way"
   • ▪ take a particular course of action: "he stepped out of retirement to answer an SOS call from his old club"
   • 2. set up (a mast) in its step.

   Word Origin Old Englishstæpe, stepe (noun), stæppan, steppan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch steppen and German stapfen.

   Derivatives

   • 1. steplike adjective

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

   • P

     3

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