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
Relevance
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
-
The video assistant referee called for a review of the play while the two were down getting tended to by trainers, leaving the Americans to nurse their lead down a man for the rest of the game.
-
Two of the attackers then smashed the windshield of the news van with a parking cone and damaged the camera before leaving the scene.
Verb
-
Greg Chavarria resigned in 2024, then Susan Grant served almost a year as acting city manager.
-
Scotland Coach Steve Clarke Resigns Steve Clarke has resigned as head coach after leading Scotland to its first men’s World Cup in 28 years.
Verb
-
Herzog won a power struggle in the front office, then quit anyway, amid disputes with ownership.
-
The much-ballyhooed heavyweight boxing match between Mike Tyson and Andrew Golota ends abruptly when Golota quits after the second round; later Golota is hospitalized with a concussion.
Verb
-
Willow Nightingale relinquished the championship in May due to a shoulder injury that also forced her out of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, leading AEW to create this match to crown a new champion.
-
But for Iran, reopening the strait does not mean relinquishing control of it.
Verb
-
Aemond is not going to back down, and Aegon has already ditched his plan to abdicate.
-
Edward shared the news of his engagement and plan to abdicate during a BBC radio broadcast in December 1936.
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Step down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
