one-step
Americannoun
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a round dance performed by couples to ragtime.
-
a piece of music for this dance.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an early 20th-century ballroom dance with long quick steps, the precursor of the foxtrot
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a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
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
Mae could teach you to one-step in no time at all!”
From The Turner Twins by Barbour, Ralph Henry
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.
