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whole step

American  

noun

Music.
  1. an interval of two semitones, as A-B or B-C♯; a major second.


Etymology

Origin of whole step

First recorded in 1895–1900


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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.

See Examples For:

This is a half step where a whole step is needed.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2023

“This could be a whole step forward for understanding magmatism—and the global composition of the bulk Earth.”

From Science Magazine ● May 25, 2023

Some of them we drop a whole step, some we drop a half step, and some are still in the original keys.

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2018

When I get to a point where I got to go more than a whole step down, it’s probably time to hang it up.

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2018

For example, the difference between a C and a B flat part is one whole step.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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