Jump To:

• step-down
  step-down

  adjective

  serving to reduce or decrease voltage.
• step down
  step down

  verb

  (tr) to reduce gradually

step-down

American  

[step-daun] / ˈstɛpˌdaʊn /

adjective

Electricity.

1. serving to reduce or decrease voltage.

   a step-down transformer.

---

step down British  

verb

1. (tr) to reduce gradually

2. informal (intr) to resign or abdicate (from a position)

3. informal (intr) to assume an inferior or less senior position

---

adjective

1. (of a transformer) reducing a high voltage applied to the primary winding to a lower voltage on the secondary winding Compare step up

2. decreasing or falling by stages

noun

1. informal a decrease in quantity or size

step down Idioms  

1. Resign from office, as in He threatened to step down if they continued to argue with him . [Late 1800s]

2. Reduce, especially in stages, as in They were stepping down the voltage . [c. 1900] Also see step up , def. 1.

---

Etymology

Origin of step-down

First recorded in 1890–95; adj. use of verb phrase step down

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

step-down step down

This and a step-down in exits meant EQT’s fee-generating assets under management at the end of the first half exceeded expectations by 10 billion euros at 155.4 billion euros, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Still, revenue fell by roughly $678 million from the prior quarter, given Covid seasonality and a step-down in vaccination rates from 2025, Tsai noted.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

At the center of the new design is an improved version of a widely used component known as a DC-DC step-down converter.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2026

Another factor to consider: Are there any big expenses coming up that coincide with your sabbatical or step-down?

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026

If the pressure or voltage of the secondary coil is less than that of the primary, we have a "step-down" transformer.

From The Story of Great Inventions by Elmer Ellsworth Burns

Rivian currently sells only the performance version of the R2, priced at $57,990, still expensive for many Americans but a step down from the company’s typical prices of around $77,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged Thursday, hours after President Christine Lagarde said she would step down early.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Muratov himself had to formally step down from the post two years later after being declared a foreign agent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

In the end he agreed to step down and went into exile Equatorial Guinea.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Their wrinkly faces go all smooth once they park their cars or step down from the city bus.

From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• abandon
• abdicate
• bow out
• drop out
• leave
• quit
• retire
• terminate

---