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Webster 1913 Edition

Step

Step

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Stepped
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Stepping
.]
[AS.
staeppan
; akin to OFries.
steppa
, D.
stappen
to step,
stap
a step, OHG.
stepfen
to step, G.
stapfe
a footstep, OHG.
stapfo
, G.
stufe
a step to step on; cf. Gr. [GREEK] to shake about, handle roughly, stamp (?). Cf.
Stamp
,
Noun.
&
Adj.
]
1.
To move the foot in walking; to advance or recede by raising and moving one of the feet to another resting place, or by moving both feet in succession.
2.
To walk; to go on foot; esp., to walk a little distance;
as, to
step
to one of the neighbors
.
3.
To walk slowly, gravely, or resolutely.
Home the swain retreats,
His flock before him
stepping
to the fold.
Thomson.
4.
Fig.: To move mentally; to go in imagination.
They are
stepping
almost three thousand years back into the remotest antiquity.
Pope.
To step aside
,
to walk a little distance from the rest; to retire from company.
–
To step forth
,
to move or come forth.
–
To step in
or
To step into
.
(a)
To walk or advance into a place or state, or to advance suddenly in.

Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water,
stepped in
, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
John v. 4.
(b)
To enter for a short time;
as, I just
stepped into
the house
.
(c)
To obtain possession without trouble; to enter upon easily or suddenly;
as,
to step into
an estate
. –
To step out
.
(a)
(Mil.)
To increase the length, but not the rapidity, of the step, extending it to thirty-tree inches.
(b)
To go out for a short distance or a short time
. –
To step short
(Mil.)
,
to diminish the length or rapidity of the step according to the established rules.

Step

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To set, as the foot.
2.
(Naut.)
To fix the foot of (a mast) in its step; to erect.
To step off
,
to measure by steps, or paces; hence, to divide, as a space, or to form a series of marks, by successive measurements, as with dividers.

Step

,
Noun.
[AS.
staepe
. See
Step
,
Verb.
I.
]
1.
An advance or movement made by one removal of the foot; a pace.
2.
A rest, or one of a set of rests, for the foot in ascending or descending, as a stair, or a round of a ladder.
The breadth of every single
step
or stair should be never less than one foot.
Sir H. Wotton.
3.
The space passed over by one movement of the foot in walking or running;
as, one
step
is generally about three feet, but may be more or less
. Used also figuratively of any kind of progress;
as, he improved
step
by
step
, or by
steps
.
To derive two or three general principles of motion from phenomena, and afterwards to tell us how the properties and actions of all corporeal things follow from those manifest principles, would be a very great
step
in philosophy.
Sir I. Newton.
4.
A small space or distance;
as, it is but a
step
.
5.
A print of the foot; a footstep; a footprint; track.
6.
Gait; manner of walking;
as, the approach of a man is often known by his
step
.
7.
Proceeding; measure; action; an act.
The reputation of a man depends on the first
steps
he makes in the world.
Pope.
Beware of desperate
steps
. The darkest day,
Live till to-morrow, will have passed away.
Cowper.
I have lately taken
steps
. . . to relieve the old gentleman’s distresses.
G. W. Cable.
8.
pl.
Walk; passage.
Conduct my
steps
to find the fatal tree.
Dryden.
9.
pl.
A portable framework of stairs, much used indoors in reaching to a high position.
10.
(Naut.)
In general, a framing in wood or iron which is intended to receive an upright shaft; specif., a block of wood, or a solid platform upon the keelson, supporting the heel of the mast.
11.
(Mach.)
(a)
One of a series of offsets, or parts, resembling the steps of stairs, as one of the series of parts of a cone pulley on which the belt runs.
(b)
A bearing in which the lower extremity of a spindle or a vertical shaft revolves.
12.
(Mus.)
The intervak between two contiguous degrees of the csale.
☞ The word tone is often used as the name of this interval; but there is evident incongruity in using tone for indicating the interval between tones. As the word scale is derived from the Italian scala, a ladder, the intervals may well be called steps.
13.
(Kinematics)
A change of position effected by a motion of translation.
W. K. Clifford.
Back step
,
Half step
,
etc. See under
Back
,
Half
, etc.
–
Step grate
,
a form of grate for holding fuel, in which the bars rise above one another in the manner of steps.
–
To take steps
,
to take action; to move in a matter.

Webster 1828 Edition

Step

STEP

,
Verb.
I.
[Gr., the foot. The sense is to set, as the foot, or move probably to open or part, to stretch or extend.]
1.
To move the foot; to advance or recede by a movement of the foot or feet; as, to step forward, or to step backward.
2.
To go; to walk a little distance; as, to step to one of the neighbors.
3.
To walk gravely, slowly or resolutely.
Home the swain retreats, his flock before him stepping to the fold.
To step forth, to move or come forth.
To step aside, to walk to a little distance; to retire from company.
To step in or into,
1.
To walk or advance into a place or state; or to advance suddenly in John 5.
2.
To enter for a short time. I just stepped into the house for a moment.
3.
To obtain possession without trouble; to enter upon suddenly; as, to step into an estate.
To step back, to move mentally; to carry the mind back.
They are stepping almost three thousand years back into the remotest antiquity.

STEP

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To set, as the foot.
2.
To fix the foot of a mast in the keel; to erect.

STEP

,
Noun.
[G., to form a step or ledge.]
1.
A pace; an advance or movement made by one removal of the foot.
2.
One remove in ascending or descending; a stair.
The breadth of every single step or stair should be neer less than one foot.
3.
The space passed by the foot in walking or running. The step of one foot is generally five feet; it may be more or less.
4.
A small space or distance. Let us go to the gardens; it is but a step.
5.
The distance between the feet in walking or running.
6.
Gradation; degree. We advance improvement step by step, or by steps.
7.
Progression; act of advancing.
To derive two or three general principles of motion from phenomena, and afterwards tell us how the properties and actions of all corporeal things follow from those manifest principles, could be a great step in philosophy.
8.
Footstep; print or impression of the foot; track.
9.
Gait; manner of walking. The approach of a man is often known by his step.
10.
Proceeding; measure; action.
The reputation of a man depends of the first steps he makes in the world.
11.
The round of a ladder.
12.
Steps in the plural, walk; passage.
Conduct my steps to find the fatal tree in this deep forest.
13.
Pieces of timber in which the foot of a mast is fixed.

Definition 2024

step

step

See also: štep, stęp, and step-

English

Noun

step ‎(plural steps)

  1. An advance or movement made from one foot to the other; a pace.
    • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, Nobody, chapter III:
      Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.
  2. A rest, or one of a set of rests, for the foot in ascending or descending, as a stair, or a rung of a ladder.
    • Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639)
      The breadth of every single step or stair should be never less than one foot.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.
  3. A distinct part of a process; stage; phase.
    He improved step by step, or by steps.‎
    The first step is to find a job.‎
  4. A running board where passengers step to get on and off the bus.
    The driver must have a clear view of the step in order to prevent accidents.‎
  5. The space passed over by one movement of the foot in walking or running.
    One step is generally about three feet, but may be more or less.‎
    • Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
      To derive two or three general principles of motion from phenomena, and afterwards to tell us how the properties and actions of all corporeal things follow from those manifest principles, would be a very great step in philosophy.
  6. A small space or distance.
    It is but a step.‎
  7. A print of the foot; a footstep; a footprint; track.
  8. A gait; manner of walking.
    The approach of a man is often known by his step.‎
  9. Proceeding; measure; action; act.
    • Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
      The reputation of a man depends on the first steps he makes in the world.
    • William Cowper (1731-1800)
      Beware of desperate steps. The darkest day, Live till to-morrow, will have passed away.
    • George Washington Cable (1844-1925)
      I have lately taken steps […] to relieve the old gentleman's distresses.
  10. (plural) A walk; passage.
  11. (plural) A portable framework of stairs, much used indoors in reaching to a high position.
  12. (nautical) A framing in wood or iron which is intended to receive an upright shaft; specif., a block of wood, or a solid platform upon the keelson, supporting the heel of the mast.
  13. (machines) One of a series of offsets, or parts, resembling the steps of stairs, as one of the series of parts of a cone pulley on which the belt runs.
  14. (machines) A bearing in which the lower extremity of a spindle or a vertical shaft revolves.
  15. (music) The interval between two contiguous degrees of the scale.
    Usage note: The word tone is often used as the name of this interval; but there is evident incongruity in using tone for indicating the interval between tones. As the word scale is derived from the Italian scala, a ladder, the intervals may well be called steps.
  16. (kinematics) A change of position effected by a motion of translation.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of William Kingdon Clifford to this entry?)
  17. (programming) A constant difference between consecutive values in a series.
    Printing from 0 to 9 with a step of 3 will display 0, 3, 6 and 9.‎

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

step ‎(third-person singular simple present steps, present participle stepping, simple past stepped or (dated) stept or (obsolete) stope, past participle stepped or (dated) stept or (obsolete) stopen)

  1. (intransitive) To move the foot in walking; to advance or recede by raising and moving one of the feet to another resting place, or by moving both feet in succession.
  2. (intransitive) To walk; to go on foot; especially, to walk a little distance.
    • 2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):
      A “moving platform” scheme […] is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays.
    to step to one of the neighbors‎
  3. (intransitive) To walk slowly, gravely, or resolutely.
    • Home the swain retreats, His flock before him stepping to the fold. — James Thomson
  4. (intransitive, figuratively) To move mentally; to go in imagination.
    • They are stepping almost three thousand years back into the remotest antiquity. — Alexander Pope
  5. (transitive) To set, as the foot.
  6. (transitive, nautical) To fix the foot of (a mast) in its step; to erect.
    • 1898, Joseph Conrad, Youth
      We put everything straight, stepped the long-boat's mast for our skipper, who was in charge of her, and I was not sorry to sit down for a moment.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: girls · wall · cry · #810: step · turning · village · quickly

Anagrams

Czech

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /stɛp/

Etymology 1

Noun

step f

  1. steppe
Declension

Etymology 2

Noun

step m inanimate

  1. tap dance
Declension

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /stɛp/

Noun

step m inan

  1. steppe

Declension

Etymology

From Middle English steppen, from Old English steppan ‎(“to step, go, proceed, advance”), stepe ‎(“step”), from Proto-Germanic *stapjaną ‎(“to step”), *stapiz ‎(“step”), from Proto-Indo-European *stÁb-, *stÁbʰ-, *stemb-, *stembʰ- ‎(“to support, stomp, curse, be amazed”). Cognate with West Frisian stappe ‎(“to step”), North Frisian stape ‎(“to walk, trudge”), Dutch stappen ‎(“to step, walk”), German stapfen ‎(“to trudge, stomp, plod”). Related to stamp, stomp.

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /stɛp/
  • Hyphenation: step
  • Rhymes: -ɛp
  • Homophone: steppe

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