lockstep
Americannoun
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a way of marching in very close file, in which the leg of each person moves with and closely behind the corresponding leg of the person ahead.
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a rigidly inflexible pattern or process.
adjective
noun
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a method of marching in step such that the men follow one another as closely as possible
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a standard procedure that is closely, often mindlessly, followed
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progressing at exactly the same speed and in the same direction as other people or things, esp as a matter of course rather than by choice
Etymology
Origin of lockstep
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Over the years, the S&P 500 and the cross-currency basis swap have moved in lockstep on multiple occasions, with periods of strong hedging demand coinciding with falling U.S. equity prices as liquidity shifted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
BP, in lockstep, took out a full-page ad.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
However, Starmer insisted the pair remained "in lockstep" and that Reeves would remain chancellor until the next election "and for many years after".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The responses from social media companies were in lockstep: If you think we’re bad, wait until you see where your children wind up without us.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Luckily for these species, succession is often interrupted—Nature does not move in lockstep.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
