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.
-
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
The executives believe Wasserman will likely step aside from the music agency and sell that wing of his company.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
"In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside."
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026
Mr. Redfern’s low voice causes the louts to step aside uncertainly, and he leaps into the railcar with an easy grace.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
