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
-
On Saturday, April 25, Banderas, 65, and Griffith, 68, were spotted leaving Beverly Hills sushi restaurant Matsuhisa arm-in-arm after enjoying dinner together.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026 -
The complementary conditioner dials up the moisture with shea butter, murumuru butter, and amino acids to smooth and strengthen—leaving hair soft, bouncy, and ready for styling.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Now, with another Chancellor resigning, the Board of Regents must stop asking frontline educators at Charter Oak to accept below-minimum-wage compensation while executive instability continues to consume public and student dollars.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Three months after resigning, Anne’s nonprofit TTAM Research Institute purchased 23andMe’s assets for $305 million in July 2025, and the company is reinventing itself as a nonprofit medical research organization rather than a genetic testing kit company.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While that new detail is likely to please debt holders, who had proposed that current shareholders inject 8 billion reais, the company rejected other changes sought by creditors, including relinquishing control of the board.—
Rachel Gamarski,
Bloomberg,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Tarrant County commissioners unanimously decided on Tuesday to put about a quarter mile of road up for sale in hopes of relinquishing control over the stretch.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In its most hostile version, the same qualities are recast as evidence of his succumbing to spectacle and abdicating basic architectural responsibility.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Democratic leaders have accused Congress of abdicating its constitutional role, and some members plan to boycott the address or attend in silent protest.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Skipping that meeting and quitting OPEC at the same time will be seen as a snub to Saudi’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Riley sails on, prow forward, fighting to avoid the Imagination’s unceremonious fate, not quitting, not wishing to be retired, but battling time.—
Greg Cote
April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Stepping down (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stepping%20down%20%28from%29. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
