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
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The world might end up ruled by large technology companies that impose their solutions throughout entire continents, leaving little space for homegrown creativity.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025 -
Many travelers like to take that whole week off, leaving the weekend before Christmas.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, who has broken stories on national security on his eponymous Substack, has seemingly bullied older congressional staffers into doing more media appearances (or resigning from their jobs outright).—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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But he was impeached in 1992 for corruption, resigning before the Brazilian Senate could, in effect, remove him.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The cost of obtaining them will very quickly amount to billions of dollars, which could force Musk to pay by relinquishing shares.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
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His mother would soon pass, and Agee hadn’t had the opportunity to find a new place to live after relinquishing his apartment pre-Suicide Squad.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This isn't about abdicating responsibility.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Within 24 to 48 hours of quitting carbs, your glycogen stores—the body's backup energy supply—start to run out.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
11 Sep. 2025
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Unhappy, actively quitting players do not buy Eververse armor.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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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 17 Sep. 2025.
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