step-down
adjective
serving to reduce or decrease voltage.
step-down
American
[step-doun]
/ ˈstɛpˌdaʊn /
adjective
Electricity.
step down
British
verb
-
(tr) to reduce gradually
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informal (intr) to resign or abdicate (from a position)
-
informal (intr) to assume an inferior or less senior position
adjective
-
(of a transformer) reducing a high voltage applied to the primary winding to a lower voltage on the secondary winding Compare step up
-
decreasing or falling by stages
noun
step down
Idioms
-
Resign from office, as in He threatened to step down if they continued to argue with him . [Late 1800s]
-
Reduce, especially in stages, as in They were stepping down the voltage . [c. 1900] Also see step up , def. 1.
Etymology
Origin of step-down
First recorded in 1890–95; adj. use of verb phrase step down
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.
Still, revenue fell by roughly $678 million from the prior quarter, given Covid seasonality and a step-down in vaccination rates from 2025, Tsai noted.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
Conventional step-down converters often struggle when dealing with large differences between input and output voltage.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
Another factor to consider: Are there any big expenses coming up that coincide with your sabbatical or step-down?
From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026
Last year, among a series of funding packages, the NHS was given £200m to create "step-down" wards for those awaiting a care package to start or for home adaptions to be made.
From BBC • Nov. 8, 2023
The one just described is, moreover, a "step-down" transformer, since it lowers the voltage, to distinguish it from "step-up" transformers, which raise the voltage.
From Marvels of Scientific Invention An Interesting Account in Non-technical Language of the Invention of Guns, Torpedoes, Submarine Mines, Up-to-date Smelting, Freezing, Colour Photography, and many other recent Discoveries of Science by Corbin, Thomas W.
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.
