step down
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down
Meanings
Resign from an important position
Why “down”? A structure, a system, or someone's mood can go down when it fails.
“The chairman stepped down.”
“The minister stepped down this morning.”
Don't confuse with
Step down means resign from an important position. Step up means increase effort or pace.
Step down means resign from an important position. Step aside can also mean resign from a role.
Test yourself
“The chairman stepped down.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
step aside
A contrast learners often mix up
Move to one side, or resign from a role
step up
A contrast learners often mix up
Increase effort or pace
back down
Same down pattern: losing
Withdraw from a position
break down
Same down pattern: losing
(of a vehicle or machine) stop working; Lose emotional control and start crying; Separate something into smaller parts to understand it; (of negotiations or relationships) fail or end; Force a door open by hitting it; Decompose into simpler chemical substances
bring down
Same down pattern: losing
Cause something to fall or land; Make something lower in level or amount; Cause a government or leader to lose power; Make someone feel sad or depressed
burn down
Same down pattern: losing
Destroy a building completely by fire
close down
Same down pattern: losing
Permanently stop a business or service
cut down
Same down pattern: losing
Reduce the amount of something; Fell a tree by cutting at its base; Kill or seriously injure many people quickly
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “step down” in Sink In
Drill “step down” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
