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
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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
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Guests are encouraged to leave their small army assistants and handlers behind (though some stash them in nearby hotels).—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
10 June 2025 -
In one case, the person had left the state overnight.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
10 June 2025
Verb
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For example, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and almost a dozen other lawyers were either forced to resign or chose to leave their posts over the DOJ's handling of the Eric Adams corruption case.—
Sophie Clark
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
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But many of his jobs ended with him being fired or forced to resign, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Verb
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In addition there are concerns about relinquishing control of monetary policy as countries in the euro zone are subject to decisions by the ECB, Tursa added.—
Sophie Kiderlin,
CNBC,
10 June 2025
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The nonprofit Consumer Watchdog argued that the bill would relinquish state control of California’s famously ambitious clean energy policies.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Queen Margrethe later abdicated on Jan. 14, 2024, making her elder son King Frederik X of Denmark.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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Khalil is the bridge through which the film makes its arguments about the hypocrisy of élite liberal education, which feeds on ideals of free inquiry and free speech and abdicates its responsibility in freeing people.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
17 May 2025
Verb
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Privately, the show’s lead actress, Emily Meade, threatened to quit.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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After being a successful child actor in the 1950s, Talbot quit acting at the age of 14.—
Meredith Wilshere,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Step down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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