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Synonyms

one-step

American  
[wuhn-step] / ˈwʌnˌstɛp /

noun

  1. a round dance performed by couples to ragtime.

  2. a piece of music for this dance.

verb (used without object)

  1. to dance the one-step.

one-step British  

noun

  1. an early 20th-century ballroom dance with long quick steps, the precursor of the foxtrot

  2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of one-step

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

They note that many customers would prefer a one-step process for the sake of ease, keeping not only their what-should-we-have-for-dinner decisions but also their payments on a single platform.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

Chinese investors are spending millions of dollars to build plants to process lithium, one-step up the value chain, in a form that Zimbabwe would allow to exit.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

The county has promised to turbocharge the sluggish pace, enacting a one-step permitting center and waiving some fees.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

In the one-step forward, one-step back world Manchester United are living in just now, they took a stride in the right direction against Wolves at Molineux.

From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025

The ragtime had a cracked, heart-broken rhythm as though it were a one-step of despair.

From The Trembling of a Leaf Little Stories of the South Sea Islands by Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset)

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.