step back
/stɛp ˈbæk/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.08 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
1
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see step, back.
verb
to depart driving the train following the train they arrived into the station driving, so as to decrease service turnaround time.
verb
To retreat from one's duties in a job; to reduce one's duties, often as a prelude to leaving a position; to take a back seat.
noun
A setback, downgrade, or deterioration.
Example Sentences
- "Entering Avebury from any direction is like stepping back into the past. Before the centre of the village is reached, the road passes through an immense circle of brooding stones which stand like petrified ghosts of an age about which little is known."
- "Engineers from the Tyne & Wear Metro stepped back in time in December, to conduct a safety-critical inspection of the tramway at the open-air Beamish Museum in County Durham."
- "Perhaps we should step back for a second and think about solving this problem a different way."
- "Making the announcement at 1600 on Friday November 4, the RDG [...] said in a statement: "It is positive that the RMT leadership has stepped back from the brink and called off their strike action."
- "As a therapist sometimes you have to step back from your clients' lives."
- "He's stepping back from the role to let you start in it."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /stɛp ˈbæk/
- British English: /stɛp ˈbæk/