15 PHRASE If someone tells you to watch your step , they are warning you to be careful about how you behave or what you say so that you do not get into trouble.
▸ step aside → see step down
▸ step back PHRASAL VERB If you step back and think about a situation, you think about it as if you were not involved in it. □ [V P ] I stepped back and analysed the situation. □ [V P + from ] It was necessary to step back from the project and look at it as a whole.
▸ step down or step aside PHRASAL VERB If someone steps down or steps aside , they resign from an important job or position, often in order to let someone else take their place. □ [V P + as ] Judge Ito said that he would step down as trial judge. □ [V P ] Many would prefer to see him step aside in favour of a younger man.
▸ step in PHRASAL VERB If you step in , you get involved in a difficult situation because you think you can or should help with it. □ [V P ] There are circumstances in which the State must step in to protect children.
▸ step out PHRASAL VERB If someone steps out of a role or situation, they leave it. □ [V P + of ] I've had to step out of the role of president because I can't do the job. [Also V P ]
▸ step up PHRASAL VERB If you step up something, you increase it or increase its intensity. □ [V P n] He urged donors to step up their efforts to send aid to the region. [Also V n P ] SYNONYMS step NOUN 1
pace: Take three paces forwards.
stride: He walked with long strides.
footstep: I heard footsteps outside. VERB 2
walk: She turned and walked away.
tread: She trod casually, enjoying the touch of the damp grass on her feet.
pace: He found John pacing around the flat, unable to sleep.
stride: He turned abruptly and strode off down the corridor.
step|brother /ste pbrʌðə r / (stepbrothers ) also step-brother N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepbrother is the son of their stepfather or stepmother.
ste p-by-ste p → see step
ste p change (step changes ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A step change is a sudden or major change in the way that something happens or the way that someone behaves. □ [+ in ] We now need a step change in our secondary schools to match that achieved in our primaries.
step|child /ste ptʃa I ld/ (stepchildren ) also step-child N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepchild is a child that was born to their husband or wife during a previous relationship.
step|daughter /ste pdɔːtə r / (stepdaughters ) also step-daughter N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepdaughter is a daughter that was born to their husband or wife during a previous relationship.
step|father /ste pfɑːðə r / (stepfathers ) also step-father N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepfather is the man who has married their mother after the death or divorce of their father.
step|ladder /ste plædə r / (stepladders ) N‑COUNT A stepladder is a portable ladder that is made of two sloping parts that are hinged together at the top so that it will stand up on its own.
step|mother /ste pmʌðə r / (stepmothers ) also step-mother N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepmother is the woman who has married their father after the death or divorce of their mother.
step|parent /ste ppeərənt/ (stepparents ) also step-parent N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepparent is their stepmother or stepfather.
steppe /ste p/ (steppes ) N‑UNCOUNT Steppes are large areas of flat grassy land where there are no trees, especially the area that stretches from Eastern Europe across the south of the former Soviet Union to Siberia.
ste p|ping stone (stepping stones ) also stepping-stone
1 N‑COUNT You can describe a job or event as a stepping stone when it helps you to make progress, especially in your career. □ [+ to ] Many students now see university as a stepping stone to a good job.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Stepping stones are a line of large stones which you can walk on in order to cross a shallow stream or river.
step|sister /ste ps I stə r / (stepsisters ) also step-sister N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepsister is the daughter of their stepfather or stepmother.
step|son /ste psʌn/ (stepsons ) also step-son N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's stepson is a son born to their husband or wife during a previous relationship.
ste|reo /ste rioʊ/ (stereos )
1 ADJ Stereo is used to describe a sound system in which the sound is played through two speakers. Compare mono . □ …loudspeakers that give all-around stereo sound.
2 N‑COUNT A stereo is a cassette or CD player with two speakers.
ste|reo|type /ste riəta I p/ (stereotypes , stereotyping , stereotyped )
1 N‑COUNT A stereotype is a fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing. □ Many men feel their body shape doesn't live up to the stereotype of the ideal man.
2 VERB [usu passive] If someone is stereotyped as something, people form a fixed general idea or image of them, so that it is assumed that they will behave in a particular way. □ [be V -ed + as ] He was stereotyped by some as a rebel. □ [be V -ed] I get very worked up about the way women are stereotyped in a lot of mainstream films.