1
as in leaving
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 resigning
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 stepping down (from)
Verb
-
With little money and competitive standards falling, players started leaving Ghana earlier than before, and not always to go to Europe.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026 -
The photo of Kyle and Amanda leaving the reunion and laughing went viral, which also set off some conspiracies among the very normal fandom of these shows.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Rangers were seriously interested in resigning him.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Kanin is resigning, effective June 11, and fiduciary Jodi Pais Montgomery will take over managing the trust.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Nearly 8 in 10 grieving workers consider quitting their jobs after a major loss, according to workplace bereavement firm Empathy.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
-
Lee was thinking of quitting baseball when he was released before getting scooped by the Braves as a minor-league free agent in 2021.—
Jesús Cano,
New York Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Loth promptly went out and took care of business, taking the lead early before briefly relinquishing it, then pulling away down the stretch.—
Frank Rajkowski,
Twin Cities,
6 June 2026
-
Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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They’d be upset about Article One of the Constitution, the legislative branch abdicating its powers; that is, the people’s power to wage war and to levy tariffs.—
KEN BURNS,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
-
Dinello was right, and The Late Show eventually became late night’s ratings leader—a throne that CBS is now voluntarily abdicating.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stepping down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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