Definition of a-step in English English dictionary
- Eureka step
- A flash of insight that cracks a problem and paves the way to a solution
- a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
- even the longest and most difficult ventures have a starting point
- baby step
- A small effort made towards the completion of a much larger task
Learning a new language is difficult, so we'll learn by taking baby steps.
- corbie step
- One of a series of step-like projections at the top of a gable
It is a great red-brick house - that is, the front is of brick, with corbie steps on the gables and a text over the door; but the courtyard into which the omnibus drives is of black and white 'cage-work' in wood and plaster.
- false step
- An erroneous action or decision
There have been several false steps made on the campaign trail, none tragic.
- false step
- A misstep; a stumble
- fire step
- a step dug into the front side of a deep trench so that soldiers could stand on it and fire over the parapet
We stood on the fire step with our heads over the top, peering out into No Man's Land. — Arthur Guy Empey, Over The Top, 1917.
- goose-step
- To march with a goose-step
- goose-step
- A style of marching in which the feet are lifted high in the air in front
- half step
- An interval of which there are seven in a fifth or twelve in an octave, consisting of two tones whose frequency ratio is about 1.059 or 18/17
- in step
- Of two or more people agreeing, or following the same policy or procedure
- in step
- Of a number of people walking, or especially marching, synchronously, so that that footfalls occur at the same time
- oblique step
- a step in marching, by which a soldier, while advancing, gradually takes ground to the right or left at an angle of about 25 degrees
- one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
- Words spoken by Neil Armstrong when taking the first steps on the moon
- one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
- (used imitatively) A cliché used to exaggerate an accomplishment or milestone
- one step ahead
- maintaining a slight advantage; continuing to lead
- one step at a time
- Slowly and steadily. Without rushing
- one step forward, two steps back
- A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments
We got all the roofing removed but the chimney was damaged and we discovered that some rafters had to be replaced. One step forward, two steps back. Or maybe three.
- spring in one's step
- enthusiasm, energy or a positive outlook or cheerful attitude
You could see by the spring in his step that he was in love with the girl next door.
- stair-step
- A strategy for big city walking to avoid staying on the same street; it involves turning at a corner, walking to the end of the block, crossing the street, then repeating
I'm going to stair-step from East 3rd and 50th down to West 44th and Seventh Avenue.
- stair-step
- To walk up a set of stairs as exercise
- step
- A bearing in which the lower extremity of a spindle or a vertical shaft revolves
- step
- One of a series of offsets, or parts, resembling the steps of stairs, as one of the series of parts of a cone pulley on which the belt runs
- step
- A print of the foot; a footstep; a footprint; track
- step
- To walk; to go on foot; esp., to walk a little distance
to step to one of the neighbors.
- step
- A framing in wood or iron which is intended to receive an upright shaft; specif., a block of wood, or a solid platform upon the keelson, supporting the heel of the mast
- step
- A rest, or one of a set of rests, for the foot in ascending or descending, as a stair, or a rung of a ladder
The breadth of every single step or stair should be never less than one foot. - Sir Henry Wotton.
- step
- To move the foot in walking; to advance or recede by raising and moving one of the feet to another resting place, or by moving both feet in succession
- step
- A change of position effected by a motion of translation. - William Kingdon Clifford
- step
- A small space or distance
It is but a step.
- step
- The space passed over by one movement of the foot in walking or running. Used also figuratively of any kind of progress
To derive two or three general principles of motion from phenomena, and afterwards to tell us how the properties and actions of all corporeal things follow from those manifest principles, would be a very great step in philosophy. - Isaac Newton.
- step
- Proceeding; measure; action; act
I have lately taken steps . . . to relieve the old gentleman's distresses. - G. W. Cable.
- step
- The interval between two contiguous degrees of the scale
Usage note: The word tone is often used as the name of this interval; but there is evident incongruity in using tone for indicating the interval between tones. As the word scale is derived from the Italian scala, a ladder, the intervals may well be called steps.
- step
- A gait; manner of walking
The approach of a man is often known by his step.
- step
- To fix the foot of (a mast) in its step; to erect
- step
- To walk slowly, gravely, or resolutely
Home the swain retreats, His flock before him stepping to the fold. - James Thomson.
- step
- To move mentally; to go in imagination
They are stepping almost three thousand years back into the remotest antiquity. - Alexander Pope.
- step
- To set, as the foot
- step
- : A portable framework of stairs, much used indoors in reaching to a high position
- step
- A running board where passengers step to get on and off the bus
The driver must have a clear view of the step in order to prevent accidents.
- step
- A walk; passage
Conduct my steps to find the fatal tree. - John Dryden.
- step
- An advance or movement made from one foot to the other; a pace
- step aerobics
- a form of aerobics involving repeated stepping up onto, and down from a block or platform
- step aside
- to deviate from the right or proper path
To step aside is human.
- step aside
- to walk to a little distance; retire for the occasion
- step aside
- to make room for others as replacements by withdrawing from a position or service
- step aside
- to move out of one's way
- step back
- to depart driving the train following the train they arrived into the station driving, so as to decrease service turnaround time
- step back
- To stop what one is doing and evaluate the current situation
Perhaps we should step back for a second and think about solving this problem a different way.
- step back
- To prevent oneself from becoming emotionally involved in a certain situation
As a therapist sometimes you have to step back from your client's lives.
- step by step
- gradually and steadily
We were shown the process step by step.
- step by step
- from one stage to the next in sequence
- step change
- A sudden, discontinuous change
The report, stark and uncompromising, marks a step change in Europe's own role in pushing for international action to combat climate change, as it will be used in a bid to commit the EU to ambitious new targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.
- step changes
- plural form of step change
- step chart
- A sequence of steps in a dancing video game
- step chart
- A chart similar to a line graph, but with the line forming a series of steps between data points
- step dance
- To perform a step dance
place, where we boxed, played skittles, step-danced — a place in which I could say to all these dear street-corner, out-of-work people, Come in and spend.
- step dance
- A dance emphasizing the dancer's steps
Orth'ris began rowlin' his eyes an' crackin' his fingers an' dancin' a step-dance for to impress the Headman.
- step down
- To resign from office
Pressure has been mounting on Tony Blair to step down as Prime Minister.
- step down
- To gradually reduce something, a little at a time, as an electronic step down transformer
- step flashing
- Individual pieces of sheet metal material used to flash walls, around chimneys, dormers and such projections along the slope of a roof. Individual pieces are overlapped and stepped up the vertical wall
- step foot
- Alternative form of set foot
- step function
- A function from the real line to a finite subset of the real line
- step in
- To get involved; to act
- step in
- To act as a replacement or substitute
- step in front of a moving train
- to sacrifice one's own life for a noble and loyal cause
- step ladder
- A ladder that is hinged in the middle to form an inverted V, with stays to keep the two halves at a fixed angle
- step on a duck
- To fart
after a fart Whoa! Did somebody step on a duck?.
- step on a rake
- To step on the tines of a garden rake, causing the handle of the rake to rise from the ground rapidly, invariably striking the person walking in the face
- step on a rake
- To fall victim to a hazard
- step on it
- To act quickly
They'll have to step on it to finish the paper tonight.
- step on it
- To drive fast; to step on the accelerator
If I step on it, I can still arrive on time.
- step out
- To date, to be in a romantic relationship
They've been stepping out since he told her he was interested in a family.
- step out
- To exit a place on foot, often for a short time
She opened the car door and stepped out of the car.
- step over
- To carefully move making sure you don't step onto someone or something
- step over
- A dribbling move, or feint, in football (soccer), used to fool a defensive player into thinking the offensive player, in possession of the ball, is going to move in a direction he does not intend to move in
- step over
- To relocate oneself to a position of a few steps away; step aside
- step overs
- plural form of step over
- step stool
- A stool that has one or more steps that fold away underneath the seat when not in use
- step stools
- plural form of step stool
- step up
- To increase speed or rate
They will need to step up production if they are going to compete.
- step up
- To assume responsibility; to volunteer or offer
Won't anyone step up to the challenge?.
- step up to the plate
- To initiate action; to assume a responsibility
Surround yourself with good people who can reliably step up to the plate and solve problems when they occur.
- step-
- A prefix used before father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, child, and so forth, to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative but is related through the marriage of a parent
- step-aunt
- The sister of someone's stepmother or stepfather
- step-aunt
- The stepsister of someone's mother or father
- step-by-step
- In detail, describing each step precisely and in order
The step-by-step directions walked me through asembly, but identifying the parts was still hard.
- step-cousin
- The stepson or stepdaughter of someone's uncle or aunt
- step-cousin
- The son or daughter of someone's step-uncle or step-aunt
- step-dance
- Alternative form of step dance
- step-down
- That reduces a voltage
- step-down
- That decreases in stages
- step-in
- An item of clothing which one steps into to put on; specifically, women's panties
Doc got that step-in in Memphis,’ the third said. ‘Off a damn whore.’.
- step-nephew
- The son of someone's stepbrother or stepsister
- step-nephew
- The stepson of someone's brother or sister
- step-niece
- The stepdaughter of someone's brother or sister
- step-niece
- The daughter of someone's stepbrother or stepsister
- step-through
- An open space in an otherwise solid object through which a person can step or walk
A motor-scooter has a step-through frame.
- step-uncle
- The stepbrother of someone's mother or father
- step-uncle
- The brother of someone's stepmother or stepfather
- step-up
- That increases in stages
- step-up
- That increases a voltage
- twelve-step program
- An entity or plan which assists people in recovering from addiction through which an organized series of actions, usually including with group discussion among people having the same problem
And you need a twelve-step program. You've got a problem, and it's called rodeo.
- twelve-step programs
- plural form of twelve-step program
- two-step
- A piece of music for this dance
- two-step
- A ballroom dance in duple time, having long, sliding steps
- watch one's step
- To be cautious
- watch one's step
- To move cautiously
- whole step
- An interval equal to two half steps or a ratio of 1.122
- step
- {v} to move the feet, walk, advance, fix the foot of a mast in the keel
- step
- {n} a footstep, pace, gait, round of a ladder
- step function
- In mathematics, a function on the real numbers is called a step function (or staircase function) if it can be written as a finite linear combination of indicator functions of intervals. Informally speaking, a step function is a piecewise constant function having only finitely many pieces
- step off
- "Step off", or the act of "stepping off" is an English language expression used to express dissatisfaction with the presence of another individual and a request for said individual to leave one's presence
- step on someone's toes
- (deyim) to upset someone
- step on someone's toes
- (deyim) Offend (a person); encroach on the territory or sphere of responsibility of (another)
The new employee stepped on a lot of toes when he suggested reorganizing the office.
- step by step
- day by day, bit by bit, piece by piece, gradually
- step by step
- proceeding in steps; "the voltage was increased stepwise"
- step by step
- in a gradual manner; "the snake moved gradually toward its victim"
- step-by-step
- one thing at a time
- step-by-step
- see step. a step-by-step plan, method etc explains or does something carefully and in a particular order step-by-step guide/approach/instructions etc
