step down

No object

This verb takes no object at all.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: step DOWN. Saying “STEP down” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Do not release the /p/. Before the consonant of “down” the stop is held and swallowed rather than popped — the same unreleased-stop move as in hot dog. One smooth unit: “step down”.

What it means

To resign from a position of authority.
- “The chairman stepped down after eleven years.”
Similar: resign, stand down

The particle logic

down

Something decreases, collapses, settles, or gets recorded.

Listen + practice

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More STEP phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

step up

To take on responsibility, or to increase effort.

step in

To intervene in a situation.

step down — meaning, examples & how to say it