lockstep

American  

[lok-step] / ˈlɒkˌstɛp /

noun

1. 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.

2. a rigidly inflexible pattern or process.

---

adjective

1. rigidly inflexible.

   a lockstep educational curriculum.

lockstep British  

/ ˈlɒkˌstɛp /

noun

1. a method of marching in step such that the men follow one another as closely as possible

2. a standard procedure that is closely, often mindlessly, followed

3. 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

First recorded in 1795–1805; lock ¹ + step

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lockstep

"We have been in lockstep with our partners" on sanctions targeting Russia and Iran, Champagne said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

She wants the whole crowd to be in lockstep with her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

Compared with my own lockstep march toward success, the direct arrow shot of my trajectory from Princeton to Harvard to my desk on the forty-seventh floor, Barack’s path was an improvisational zigzag through disparate worlds.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama