# step back

> English word · Verb · IPA /stɛp ˈbæk/

## Definitions
1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see step, back.
2. To stop what one is doing and evaluate the current situation.
3. To prevent oneself from becoming emotionally involved in a certain situation.
4. to depart driving the train following the train they arrived into the station driving, so as to decrease service turnaround time.
5. To retreat from one's duties in a job; to reduce one's duties, often as a prelude to leaving a position; to take a back seat.
6. To quietly abandon a belief.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/step-back