step down

1 of 3

verb

stepped down; stepping down; steps down

intransitive verb

: to withdraw from one's position or occupation : retire, resign
League commissioner Pete Rozelle … announced his intention to step down after 29 years on the job—his retirement becomes effective upon selection of a successor …Richard Demak and Jerry Kirshenbaum
… the general would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution.Brian Duffy et al.

transitive verb

1
: to lower (a voltage) by means of a transformer
… voltages as high as two hundred and thirty thousand volts … which were carried by high-voltage power lines from generating plants, were being stepped down by large transformers to thirteen thousand volts …Paul Brodeur
2
: to decrease or reduce (something) especially by one or more steps
As This Old House's plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey points out, the installer has to carefully step down the size of the ducts so there's even air pressure at all the room outlets.Scott Gibson

step-down

2 of 3

noun

variants or step down or less commonly stepdown
plural step-downs or step downs also stepdowns
: a decrease or reduction (as in size or amount) and especially one that is gradual or incremental
a dosage step-down
After several months of heavy investments, Amazon said it expects coronavirus-related costs to decelerate. … [Amazon CFO Brian] Olsavsky attributed the step down in Covid costs to a shift in volume.Annie Palmer
That tax credit was scheduled to expire in 2019 but will now expire in 2025, with stepdowns toward the end of the program.Alaska Dispatch News

step-down

3 of 3

adjective

1
electrical engineering : serving to decrease voltage
a step-down transformer
2
medical : providing or offering a reduced level of care or service
step-down drug rehab programs
specifically : providing an intermediate level of care and monitoring especially for patients transitioning out of intensive care
a cardiac step-down unit
… a portable, mechanical driver that can power patients' artificial hearts and enable them to recover outside the hospital environment, including at home and at step-down facilities. Anne Buckley

Examples of step down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And in Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped down after three decades of rule, while maintaining the chairmanship of the country’s Security Council and the title of Leader of the Nation. Nathan Hodge, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Three of those directors agreed to step down after more than 95 percent of OpenAI employees threatened to quit if he wasn’t brought back. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, Caribbean diplomat Ronald Sanders told The Washington Post, Henry received a message from the U.S. State Department asking him to consider stepping down under certain conditions. Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Bridget Ziegler, who helped found the conservative Moms for Liberty organization, has also faced calls to step down from her post on the Sarasota County School Board. Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The field was left wide open when incumbent Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Lake Norman-area Republican, announced his plans to step down from the seat after this term, ending a 20-year run in Congress. Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 Porter, to her credit, ended the shadow campaigning by declaring her candidacy weeks before Feinstein announced plans to step down after her sixth term. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 However, Karamo refused to step down and instead clenched to her title maintaining control of the state party's bank accounts and its website. USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 Some vitriolic critics even called for Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to step down or be fired. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
The first choice, a step-down facility with enhanced services for those leaving locked care, was quickly ruled out. Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Among the home’s many spaces for entertaining is a vast entrance gallery that leads to a step-down living room that features curved crown moldings, a detailed ceiling, and a fireplace. Mark David, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2024 Nearly 8,000 square feet of open-plan space in the home includes a two-story foyer that opens to a step-down living room and an adjacent dining room area. Neal J. Leitereg, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Every Tuesday and Thursday for three decades, Allan ran a psycho-educational group at Weill Cornell Medical Center’s cardiac care step-down unit for survivors of recent cardiovascular events. Gina Ryder, STAT, 3 Jan. 2024 The Victrola Stream Onyx, the step-down version of the Victrola Stream Carbon, is matching its all-time low of $399.99 ($200 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Brandon Widder, The Verge, 16 Dec. 2023 The first floor of the home features a step-down living room, a dining area, and a kitchen. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2023 Clean as a whistle and ready for occupancy, if a bit out of date, the condo’s many charms include original oak floorboards, period moldings, high, beamed ceilings, and a working fireplace in the step-down living room. Mark David, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2023 The state helped launch four intensive psychiatric step-down programs, the first of their kind for foster youth in Texas. Robert T. Garrett, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
Adjective
Some hospitals have a step-down unit, which provides an intermediate level of care that is less intense than the ICU while providing closer care than the regular unit. James Lacy, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2023 The primary bathroom also features a step-down shower with a view of the mountains. R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'step down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1905, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of step down was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near step down

Cite this Entry

“Step down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/step%20down. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

step down

verb
(ˈ)step-ˈdau̇n
1
: to lower the voltage of (a current) using a transformer
2
: to decrease or reduce especially by one or more steps
stepped down the volume
3
: resign sense 2, retire
will step down as chairman at the end of this year
step-down
-ˌdau̇n
adjective

Medical Definition

step-down

1 of 2 adjective
: providing or offering a reduced level of care or service
step-down drug rehab programs
specifically : providing an intermediate level of care and monitoring especially for patients transitioning out of intensive care
Our group practice rotates us in 3-week stints through various critical and step-down units. The Journal of the American Medical Association

step-down

2 of 2 noun
variants or step down
: a decrease or reduction in size or amount
a dosage step-down

More from Merriam-Webster on step down

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!