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• step-down
  step-down

  adjective

  serving to reduce or decrease voltage.
• step down
  step down

  verb

  (tr) to reduce gradually

step-down

American  

[step-doun] / ˈstɛpˌdaʊn /

adjective

Electricity.

1. serving to reduce or decrease voltage.

   a step-down transformer.

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step down British  

verb

1. (tr) to reduce gradually

2. informal (intr) to resign or abdicate (from a position)

3. informal (intr) to assume an inferior or less senior position

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adjective

1. (of a transformer) reducing a high voltage applied to the primary winding to a lower voltage on the secondary winding Compare step up

2. decreasing or falling by stages

noun

1. informal a decrease in quantity or size

step down Idioms  

1. Resign from office, as in He threatened to step down if they continued to argue with him . [Late 1800s]

2. Reduce, especially in stages, as in They were stepping down the voltage . [c. 1900] Also see step up , def. 1.

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Etymology

Origin of step-down

First recorded in 1890–95; adj. use of verb phrase step down

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

step-down step down

This and a step-down in exits meant EQT’s fee-generating assets under management at the end of the first half exceeded expectations by 10 billion euros at 155.4 billion euros, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

And because step-down facilities for longer holds are in short supply, patients often remain in expensive emergency rooms for longer periods or are merely released.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

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

At the center of the new design is an improved version of a widely used component known as a DC-DC step-down converter.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 10, 2026

If the pressure or voltage of the secondary coil is less than that of the primary, we have a "step-down" transformer.

From The Story of Great Inventions by Elmer Ellsworth Burns

Michigan’s new university president takes the helm on Dec. 1, and the university has said the athletic director would step down at the end of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Sturm earlier this week said he would step down after the changes in the company’s shareholder structure and discussions with Frasers, Hugo Boss’s largest shareholder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

CEO Shantanu Narayen is due to step down at the start of December, and the company recently named Anil Chakravarthy, the leader of its Customer Experience Orchestration business, to be his successor.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Monty Don is to step down as the host of Gardeners' World after more than 20 years, the BBC has announced.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Eddie steps one step down, face-to-face with Carlos, closer to Carlos and Kim.

From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• abandon
• abdicate
• bow out
• drop out
• leave
• quit
• retire
• terminate