step

step — verb

1. to raise one foot and move it to a new position when walking, running, or dancin

1.verbintransitiveA2
Definition

to raise one foot and move it to a new position when walking, running, or dancing, or to bring your foot down against a surface or object.

Example

Jin stepped carefully over the broken glass on the kitchen floor.

step + over + obstacle

Mira stepped onto the bathroom scales and looked down at the number.

step onto + surface

Common collocations
  • step carefully
  • step lightly
  • step backward
  • step forward
  • step aside
  • step over something
  • step onto something
  • step into something
  • step on something
Synonyms
  • tread

    more formal or literary; often implies putting weight down carefully or heavily

  • walk

    more general and continuous; step suggests a single, deliberate movement

  • pace

    walk with regular, measured steps, often back and forth in one area

Grammar Patterns

step + adverb of direction

step + preposition + noun phrase

step on + noun

Usage Note

Usually followed by an adverb or prepositional phrase (e.g., forward, onto, over, on) that indicates direction, location, or manner. When used alone without context, 'step' sounds incomplete.

Common Mistakes

I stepped the floor.
I stepped onto the floor.
step is usually intransitive and requires a preposition before the destination.
She stepped the room quietly.
She stepped into the room quietly.
use a directional preposition like into between step and the destination.

step — noun

step — combining form

step — prefix

Word family

  • footstep
    nounA2
  • stepping-stone
    nounB1
  • doorstep
    nounB1
  • stepladder
    nounB1
  • overstep
    verbB2
  • stepwise
    adjectiveC1
  • step-up
    nounC1
  • step-down
    nounC1
  • stepstool
    nounB1
  • backstep
    nounC1
  • step-by-step
    adjectiveA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Step, stage, phase, and measure all refer to parts of a process, but with different emphases. A step is a discrete action or point within a sequence — each step is something you do or reach, one after another ("the next step is to mix the ingredients"). A stage is a longer, clearly defined period within a process, often with its own character ("the design stage of the project"). A phase is similar to stage but often implies a temporary or cyclical part of a larger development ("the rainy phase of the monsoon"). A measure is a formal or deliberate action taken to achieve a goal, often in official or political contexts ("the government introduced new safety measures"). While step and stage can overlap, you take a step but enter a stage.

stage ↗phase ↗measure ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • step process
  • step change
  • step aerobics
  • step platform
  • step stool
  • step ladder

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

The noun step and verb step both come from Old English stepe (noun) and steppan (verb), with Germanic roots found in Old High German stepfen and Old Norse stappa. The original meaning was the act of lifting and placing the foot. The family-relationship prefix step- (as in stepmother, stepfather) comes from a different Old English source: steop-, meaning 'orphaned' or 'bereaved'. In early usage, a stepchild was a child whose parent had died and whose surviving parent had remarried. Over time, the meaning widened to cover all relationships formed through remarriage, regardless of whether a death had occurred.