step aside
Idioms-
Move out of the way, as in Please step aside—I've got my arms full of groceries . This usage was first recorded in 1530.
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Withdraw, make room for a replacement, as in The senior researcher decided to step aside for a younger colleague . [Second half of 1900s]
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.
In written correspondence, Warsh declined to say how he would respond if a president asked him to step aside over a policy dispute, Democrats said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
“You have to discipline yourself to step aside and let your kid do it,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
Powell has made clear he doesn’t intend to step aside while the case is unresolved.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Children would step aside when he drew near, and the smaller ones often ducked behind their mothers’ skirts.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
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.
