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STEP
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Irregular inflected forms: stepped , stepping
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
Example:
the police took steps to reduce crime
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
maneuver; manoeuvre; tactical maneuver; tactical manoeuvre (a move made to gain a tactical end)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
countermeasure (an action taken to offset another action)
porcupine provision; shark repellent (a measure undertaken by a corporation to discourage unwanted takeover attempts)
guard; precaution; safeguard (a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down
Example:
he walked with unsteady steps
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
locomotion; travel (self-propelled movement)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
pace; stride; tread (a step in walking or running)
pas ((ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet))
trip (a light or nimble tread)
sidestep (a step to one side (as in boxing or dancing))
footstep (the act of taking a step in walking)
Derivation:
step (measure (distances) by pacing)
step (shift or move by taking a step)
step (put down or press the foot, place the foot)
step (walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner)
step (move with one's feet in a specific manner)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A sequence of foot movements that make up a particular dance
Example:
he taught them the waltz step
Synonyms:
dance step; step
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
locomotion; travel (self-propelled movement)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
glissade ((ballet) a gliding or sliding step in ballet)
chasse; sashay ((ballet) quick gliding steps with one foot always leading)
moonwalk (a kind of dance step in which the dancer seems to be sliding on the spot)
Holonyms ("step" is a part of...):
hoofing; step dancing (dancing in which the steps are more important than gestures or postures)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway
Example:
he paused on the bottom step
Synonyms:
stair; step
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)
Meronyms (parts of "step"):
riser (structural member consisting of the vertical part of a stair or step)
tread (structural member consisting of the horizontal part of a stair or step)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
corbel step; corbie-step; corbiestep; crow step ((architecture) a step on the top of a gable wall)
Holonyms ("step" is a part of...):
staircase; stairway (a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps)
Derivation:
step (furnish with steps)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A solid block joined to the beams in which the heel of a ship's mast or capstan is fixed
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
block (a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides))
Derivation:
step (place (a ship's mast) in its step)
Sense 6
Meaning:
A mark of a foot or shoe on a surface
Example:
the police made casts of the footprints in the soft earth outside the window
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
mark; print (a visible indication made on a surface)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
footprint evidence (evidence in the form of footprints)
Derivation:
step (put down or press the foot, place the foot)
Sense 7
Meaning:
A musical interval of two semitones
Synonyms:
step; tone; whole step; whole tone
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
interval; musical interval (the difference in pitch between two notes)
Sense 8
Meaning:
The sound of a step of someone walking
Example:
he heard footsteps on the porch
Synonyms:
footfall; footstep; step
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
tramp (a heavy footfall)
Derivation:
step (shift or move by taking a step)
step (move with one's feet in a specific manner)
Sense 9
Meaning:
The distance covered by a step
Example:
he stepped off ten paces from the old tree and began to dig
Synonyms:
footstep; pace; step; stride
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
indefinite quantity (an estimated quantity)
Derivation:
step (measure (distances) by pacing)
step (shift or move by taking a step)
step (put down or press the foot, place the foot)
step (walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner)
Sense 10
Meaning:
A short distance
Example:
it's only a step to the drugstore
Synonyms:
step; stone's throw
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)
Derivation:
step (measure (distances) by pacing)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Relative position in a graded series
Example:
keep in step with the fashions
Synonyms:
gradation; step
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("step" is a kind of...):
rank (relative status)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "step"):
cut (a step on some scale)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they step ... he / she / it steps
Past simple: stepped
Past participle: stepped
-ing form: stepping
Sense 1
Meaning:
Move or proceed as if by steps into a new situation
Example:
he won't step into his father's footsteps
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
move (go or proceed from one point to another)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something PP
Sense 2
Meaning:
Measure (distances) by pacing
Example:
step off ten yards
Synonyms:
pace; step
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
measure; quantify (express as a number or measure or quantity)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
step (a short distance)
step (the distance covered by a step)
step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Place (a ship's mast) in its step
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
step (a solid block joined to the beams in which the heel of a ship's mast or capstan is fixed)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Shift or move by taking a step
Example:
step back
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "step"):
backpedal (step backwards, in boxing)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Also:
step out (go outside a room or building for a short period of time)
Derivation:
step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)
step (the sound of a step of someone walking)
step (the distance covered by a step)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Put down or press the foot, place the foot
Example:
step on the brake
Synonyms:
step; tread
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "step"):
step on; tread on (place or press the foot on)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)
step (a mark of a foot or shoe on a surface)
step (the distance covered by a step)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Walk a short distance to a specified place or in a specified manner
Example:
step over to the blackboard
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
walk (use one's feet to advance; advance by steps)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)
step (the distance covered by a step)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Move with one's feet in a specific manner
Example:
step lively
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s Adjective
Derivation:
step (the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down)
step (the sound of a step of someone walking)
Sense 8
Meaning:
Furnish with steps
Example:
The architect wants to step the terrace
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)
Domain category:
architecture (the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their esthetic effect)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
step (support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Treat badly
Example:
She is always stepping on others to get ahead
Synonyms:
abuse; ill-treat; ill-use; maltreat; mistreat; step
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "step"):
kick around (treat badly; abuse)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something PP
Sense 10
Meaning:
Cause (a computer) to execute a single command
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Hypernyms (to "step" is one way to...):
execute; run (carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Context examples:
So, when there came a ship, Old Kinoos stepped forward and said he would show the way.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
Propionyl-CoA has three carbons and succinyl-CoA has four carbons, so one of the first steps in this pathway is the carboxylation of propionyl-CoA with an input of energy from ATP.
(Oxidation of Odd-Numbered Chain Fatty Acid Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
Any representation of the individual steps in a metabolic pathway of a cell.
(Modeling of Cellular Pathways, NCI Thesaurus)
The following steps of GGR-NER and TCR-NER are similar.
(Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)
Another proteolytic step in Notch processing is carried out by TACE, also known as ADAM17.
(Notch Proteolysis and Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
And now, you've spoke up free, and I'll take it kind if you'd step down into that there cabin and get me a—well, a—shiver my timbers!
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
The second cleavage step appears to occur within the transmembrane domain of Notch, and releases a Notch intracellular domain (NICD).
(Notch and Wnt Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
The old chief stepped forward to us, and asked us some questions, pointing at the same time to the woods.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I am not a young lady, and it's only a step.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Mr. Utterson stepped out and touched him on the shoulder as he passed.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
