step

The word “step” means a single movement of the foot when walking, or one of a set of surfaces used to go up or down, as on a staircase. In plain terms, a single movement forward with the foot, a stair, or one part of a larger process.

“Step” is pronounced stehp (/stɛp/ in IPA).

Here is “step” used in a sentence: “Watch your step on the icy pavement.”

Depending on how it is used, “step” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “step” comes from Old English. From Old English steppan, "to step, go, advance," related to the words "stamp" and "stomp.".

“Step” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Step” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a single movement of the foot when walking, or one of a set of surfaces used to go up or down, as on a staircase.

A step is a single surface you place your foot on, or one movement of the foot. A stair usually means the same single unit, but the plural, stairs, refers to the whole flight together. So one step is part of a set of stairs, and many steps make up a staircase.

A step is one ordinary movement of the foot in walking. A stride is a longer, more deliberate step, or the full distance covered from one footfall to the next. People take small steps when moving carefully and long strides when walking quickly or confidently. A stride simply covers more ground.

Step has several senses. It can be a single movement of the foot, or a surface on a staircase. It also means one stage in a process, as in 'the next step,' and an action taken toward a goal, as in 'taking steps to improve.' Context shows which meaning applies.

'She climbed the last step to reach the door' shows the staircase meaning. 'He took a step forward' shows the walking sense. 'The first step in baking is measuring the flour' shows a stage in a process. Each uses step differently while keeping the idea of a single, distinct move.