I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bold step
▪
The following year he made a bold step to expand his business.
a crucial decision/step
▪
Choosing a career is a crucial decision to make.
a dance step (= a movement in a dance )
▪
Lou was teaching me a few dance steps.
a step of a ladder (= the part you put your foot on )
▪
The can of paint was balanced on one of the steps of the ladder.
decisive action/steps
▪
We will take decisive steps towards political union with Europe.
get/step out of line
▪
Anybody who steps out of line will be in deep trouble.
half step
retrograde step
▪
The closure of the factories is seen as a retrograde step .
step aerobics
step change
▪
The new law marks a step change in our programme for reforming public services.
stepped aside
▪
He stepped aside to let Katherine go in first.
take active steps to do sth
▪
You should take active steps towards reducing stress.
take concrete steps to do sth
▪
The country has to take concrete steps to end the violence.
take punitive steps
▪
The government is expected to take punitive steps against offenders.
take sth a stage/step further
▪
Critics want the government to take this a stage further and ban the film altogether.
Take...step by step
▪
Take each lesson step by step .
Take...step by step
▪
Take each lesson step by step .
tentative steps
▪
The government is taking tentative steps towards tackling the country’s economic problems.
the bottom step
▪
Jenna sat on the bottom step.
took...unprecedented step
▪
He took the unprecedented step of stating that the rumours were false.
uncertain steps
▪
She took a few uncertain steps forward.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
big
▪
It wasn't a big step from there to Mack the Knife.
▪
Find her, they say, and you take a big step toward finding the elusive Bishop.
▪
A big step up came when the Lord Chancellor took over criminal legal aid from the Home Secretary in 1980.
▪
But it was also a big step on the stairway to the stars.
▪
If that is the case you need to take bigger bites or steps .
▪
It was the first and biggest step in changing the council from a legislative body to a rubber stamp for his administration.
▪
That would be a big step forward.
▪
I admit, marriage is a big step .
front
▪
The old lady's footsteps could be heard, ponderous and threatening, on the front steps .
▪
When the engine turned over, he came quickly down the front steps and climbed in beside them.
▪
Women were talking to each other from the front steps of their homes.
▪
As I walked down the front steps for the last time, a feeling of elation swept over me.
▪
Alice opened the door and set the suitcase on the front steps .
▪
So I Nureyeved the front steps and flowed through the door in a single motion of Yale and Chubb.
▪
If she comes to sit on the front steps , she carries her knitting or mending.
further
▪
It was a further step in their development on the road to possible overall victory at this stadium on Sunday.
▪
We entrust the Ministerial Council with the further steps which may be required to implement them.
▪
If further steps are to be performed a time delay is needed before the next excitation change.
▪
The Treaty of Rome and the subsequent decisions of the member Governments provide for a series of further steps .
▪
The best business development groups take further steps to capture and reuse lessons learned from experience.
▪
They would then have lawmakers decide on further steps to close the coming gap between revenues and expenditures.
important
▪
Marriage is a very important step to take.
▪
Developing Criteria An important step in the development of a quality assurance system is to prepare criteria.
▪
The first important step was to separate the purchasing and providing functions and devolve services such as personnel and finance to units.
▪
The recognition of these players within an organization is an important first step in facilitating innovation.
▪
This is a very important first step .
▪
Legislation could still be a long way off but the proposals are an important first step .
major
▪
The global health scene has been characterised by major steps forward but with some disturbing retrograde features.
▪
And they knew that learning was a way out of the trap, a major step toward self-expression.
▪
Our next major step was to sort out a name.
▪
Franco never took major steps when in doubt.
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The process involves three major steps: 1.
▪
It represents one of man's great architectural feats and was technically a major step forward.
▪
But I hope that this election will be a major step toward that ultimate goal.
necessary
▪
Reprocessing is a necessary first step towards recycling nuclear fuel.
▪
Mistakesmissteps-are necessary for actualizing your vision, and necessary steps toward success.
▪
Finally, it is hoped to identify the necessary steps essential for the improvement of growth potential for ethnic minority businesses.
▪
You have to believe you can change before you can take the necessary steps to do so.
▪
Police have to take the necessary steps .
▪
It will not prejudice his claim in any way if he takes all necessary steps to minimise and contain his loss.
▪
It was a necessary survival step for a young person growing up in that area.
positive
▪
She says that it's a positive step .
▪
This of course was all a positive step .
▪
Only a missionary would see this as a positive step in and of itself.
▪
It was a positive step but it was very weak in the way it sought to cover the children.
▪
Firstly, undertaking the research represented one of the only positive steps available to respond to such an increased demand.
▪
And it will allow them to take positive steps to help prevent getting the disease or limit the impact of its complications.
▪
The negative aspects of the United Front were still dominant at the end of 1934 but several positive steps had been taken.
▪
Everywhere, however, positive steps have been taken to deal with it.
reasonable
▪
In one sense this was a reasonable step to take.
short
▪
It is but a short step from this to natural selection and evolution in the laboratory.
▪
He watches four men trying to drag a doorless refrigerator up the short flight of steps into the band shell.
▪
It is a short deductive step to equate the pillar with the goddess Potnia or the Mistress of Animals.
▪
Gait pigeon-like, rather tripping, with short waddling steps .
▪
That the department is wrong can be made clear in three short steps .
▪
Frankie stared towards the shorter flight of steps leading to the landing.
▪
The Pre-emptive Thesis From the dependence and normal justification theses it is but a short step to the pre-emption thesis.
small
▪
From shrinking the aircraft, it was but a small step to shrinking the airline.
▪
One more small step away from control by elected officials and toward a government run by the bureaucracy.
▪
His only strategy is to take small steps and to carry the local vector parallel to itself over each step.
▪
It happened one small step at a time.
▪
The sequence of action can &038; negotiated by helping her see the importance of achieving small steps in the weaning process.
▪
But it was a small step .
▪
An increment is a small step from the existing position.
▪
Whether you choose to take a small step or a large one, each action is important.
tentative
▪
Shortly after the First World War tentative steps towards the implementation of a monopoly policy were being considered.
▪
Around the country, the first tentative steps have been taken toward this new alliance.
▪
Both moves were seen as tentative steps towards opening up the political system.
▪
Then he opened his eyes, spoke a few words and eventually tried a few tentative steps round his hospital room.
▪
There was no need for tentative steps of discovery but nevertheless it was as if this were the very first time.
▪
Hauling it by its ugly leather straps she took a tentative step on the little stony path.
▪
The year ended with the government taking tentative steps to tackle the country's enormous economic problems.
▪
She couldn't quite believe she was taking the first few tentative steps back towards her marriage.
unprecedented
▪
At five past two Franco took the unprecedented step of refusing to serve him any more wine.
▪
The authorities were taken aback, and took the unprecedented step of cordoning off the painting.
▪
In the summer, the two sides took the unprecedented step in the Warsaw Pact of recalling their two ambassadors.
■ NOUN
back
▪
She took a shaky step back , mentally berating herself for continuing to react to him in this inexplicable fashion.
▪
She took a step back and, gasping with pain, stumbled as her ankle gave way beneath her.
▪
She swallowed and took a step back , but the breakfast-bar, immovable and robust, halted her retreat.
▪
Henry took a step back and considered.
▪
With another frown, she took a step back .
▪
When she approached the youth he took a hesitant step back but froze to the spot on seeing Graham's threatening look.
▪
Abruptly the window slid upwards and the car shot forward, forcing the man outside to take a hasty step back .
▪
Julie screamed and took a step back .
stone
▪
With a final gesture she put the key on the sill of the narrow window and pulled herself up the stone steps .
▪
Scared but ignorant, I descended the six stone steps to the street.
▪
He rose and led them both down the stone steps , coming to a halt at the entrance to the vestry door.
▪
As he reached the foot of the bleak stone steps , a single gunman opened fire from the parapet around the stairway.
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He knew the feel of every cold stone step on the wide staircase leading down to the main hall.
▪
I started up the cold stone steps to the gallery.
▪
He lurched sideways and fell to his hands and knees on the stone steps .
■ VERB
climb
▪
He hurried ahead, climbed the steps and pushed past twenty pairs of knees.
▪
Mike climbed the steps without speaking, and unloaded his cameras and camera bag on a mat.
▪
There was an urgency in the voice that made Defries and Daak turn and climb the three steps to the weapons platform.
▪
Mark wearily climbed the steps of number 89, and let himself in.
▪
No one from the parade is allowed to climb the steps .
▪
She climbed the rickety steps set into the hillside and got up to the porch of the Katz house.
▪
He climbed off the step stool and went to the faucet on the side of the rectory.
fall
▪
If they should fall down the steps the fence will stop them going on to the road.
▪
Once again, Blue falls into step with Black, perhaps even more harmoniously than before.
▪
The senator fell into step beside me while some of Bonefish's smaller children followed at a safe distance.
▪
Omite falls down the basement steps and breaks her hip.
▪
Stewart falls clumsily down the steps .
▪
One day I fell down the steps there.
▪
She had been descending the stairs when she'd slipped and had fallen down numerous steps .
▪
Staff who went to help her thought she had fallen down steps before first-aiders saw her multiple injuries.
follow
▪
We follow through the six steps enumerated above. 1.
▪
If you have a wide-carriage printer, follow these same steps but skip step 2. 1.
▪
The first column starts at the left margin. Follow these steps to enter the table: 1.
▪
Stumbling a little, she followed him up the steps and across the moonlit terrace into the palazzo.
▪
In general, a proposal goes through the following steps regardless of the type of grant giving organization.
▪
Replace the taps To fit the new mixer tap follow step 2 in reverse.
▪
At that stage, math is simply following steps and watching out for details, her strong suit.
move
▪
The progressive dismantling of regional development policy since 1979 has moved more swiftly than steps aimed at deregulating the housing sector.
▪
A long time ago, when they opposed him, he put out the hand and moved the few steps to them.
▪
Alec moved down two steps and stood.
▪
He moved a step away from her.
▪
The action moves Disney one step closer to final government approval of the transaction.
▪
This, of course, merely moves the debate a step further back, because it implies an understanding of what death is.
▪
Zhang Kou coughed, and Gao Ma silently moved a step closer to Jinju.
retrace
▪
Frankie forgot the eggs and hurriedly retraced his steps .
▪
Ellsworth, who had gone ahead, retraced his steps to shepherd the two through.
▪
In this first article I will retrace my first steps to Rennes-le-Chateau and the beginning of the mystery.
▪
Then we retraced our steps and found a restaurant.
▪
At the bottom end he could go no further, and so retraced his steps .
▪
It is best to retrace your steps for the return journey.
▪
In the soft evening light, I retraced my steps back to town, soothed by the songs of blackbirds and chaffinches.
stand
▪
Baptiste was standing on the bottom step of the wooden staircase, affecting surprise at the sight of her.
▪
His 13 grandchildren stood along the steps .
▪
When people came to the doors they stood on the step talking and looking over at our side of the street.
▪
Léonie stood on the bottom step and clutched the metal handrail.
▪
He pulled the heavy hall-door shut and stood on the steps .
▪
Bright wedding-red flowers in full bloom stood cloistered on the steps .
take
▪
Having acquired a wife, Leslie began to think that he ought to take some steps towards securing our future.
▪
Mix got out of his car, Easterbrook says, took a step and collapsed.
▪
What stops us taking the first step and using it?
▪
Each time I took a step , I sank to the earth and then struggled upright again.
▪
To split up a great State, created by a thousand years of historical development, means taking a big step backwards.
▪
So Ford took concrete steps to get the idea across to one and all.
▪
With another frown, she took a step back.
▪
Now his breakthrough is taking the critical step to commercial application.
walk
▪
Andrew was always with her, walking a few steps out of her reach.
▪
He walked a few steps , looked over his shoulder, and. everyone was picking up a sign.
▪
As I walked down the front steps for the last time, a feeling of elation swept over me.
▪
He walked with long steps , too long, and he had his thumbs hooked in his pockets again.
▪
He would walk up those steps with a confidence he didn't feel, she knew that.
▪
So we all walked the few steps to Wuthering Heights.
▪
Chantel walks down the steps like a girl and saunters over next to him.
watch
▪
Plus, Best foot forward, but watch your step ... aerobics can be a pain.
▪
Some one bumped into him and sharply told him to watch his step .
▪
Inside I was guided down a weird stairway and told at one point to watch my step carefully.
▪
That pain in the back of my neck is four pairs of eyes watching every step I take to the church.
▪
Opposing players really had to watch their step ....
▪
He would have to watch his step on his return.
▪
I would watch my step if I were you.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
fall into step
▪
Instead he fell into step, and they went on from there.
▪
Once again, Blue falls into step with Black, perhaps even more harmoniously than before.
▪
She walked to the door, trying her hardest to ignore the man who fell into step beside her.
▪
The Clinton administration, after some hesitation, fell into step behind Paris.
▪
The great horse Koulash galloped forward to join the Tsar's horses, and fell into step with them.
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The senator fell into step beside me while some of Bonefish's smaller children followed at a safe distance.
▪
They fell into step on the slush-covered path.
false move/step
▪
A false step, a forgotten detail.
▪
And marriage, I should have thought, is a false step you must have been well warned against.
▪
Any false starts or false moves will result in error and the telltale bugs.
▪
Leicester are the sporting equivalent of those brave landmine engineers who operate in areas where one false move can destroy everything.
▪
No regrets, no hesitation; there were no false moves left in me.
▪
One false move in the conduct of the attack will spell certain doom for White.
▪
One false step and we would be down there too.
▪
Risking a false step in the bog, she sped over the path.
retrace your steps/path/route etc
▪
As he retraced his steps of the past day avoiding streets and roads, he stayed alert to the sounds around him.
▪
Ellsworth, who had gone ahead, retraced his steps to shepherd the two through.
▪
Frankie forgot the eggs and hurriedly retraced his steps.
▪
He kept walking; there was little point in making them suspicious by turning round and retracing his steps.
▪
It's an easy walk which can be extended as far as you wish without having to retrace your steps.
▪
It is best to retrace your steps for the return journey.
▪
There are several possible routes to choose - try retracing your steps as far as Suileag.
spring in your step
▪
But suddenly the sight of Giuseppe Signori's invitingly lofted ball into the penalty area put a spring in his step.
▪
He walks away with a high spring in his step.
▪
It read: Bedford, keep the spring in your step.
▪
Kangaroo has not changed our lives, just given us deeper pockets and put a little more spring in our steps.
▪
Preston emerged after the interval with a new spring in their step, and the game took on a different complexion.
▪
The candidates, their staffs and the press have a spring in their steps.
▪
There was a spring in his step, and ineffable calmness dressing his sun-brown face.
▪
There was a new spring in his step, a feeling of youthful zest stirring his muscles.
springy step/walk
step into the breach
▪
At the eleventh hour, Halifax has stepped into the breach .
▪
Mixed, she said, because it had given the theatre the opportunity to invite P.L. O'Hara to step into the breach .
▪
Pawelski would like to step into the breach .
▪
So Mrs Thatcher, demonstrating hitherto unsuspected social graces, decided to step into the breach herself.
▪
Who will step into the breach ?
▪
You are very brave to step into the breach .
step into/fill sb's shoes
▪
She stepped into her shoes , grabbed her clothes, and ran that way.
the naughty step
watch your step
▪
He would have to watch his step on his return.
▪
I had to watch my step.
▪
I would watch my step if I were you.
▪
Inside I was guided down a weird stairway and told at one point to watch my step carefully.
▪
Opposing players really had to watch their step....
▪
Plus, Best foot forward, but watch your step ... aerobics can be a pain.
▪
Some one bumped into him and sharply told him to watch his step.
▪
The sign outside may say Céad Míle Faíte, but inside you watch your step.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a beginners' step class
▪
Baker said his next step will be to demand a new trial.
▪
Completing your degree would move you up a step on the salary scale.
▪
Ellen ran up the steps and banged on the door.
▪
Her first big step towards a career in movies was her move to Hollywood.
▪
I can't remember all the steps.
▪
I was so breathless, I could only manage a few steps.
▪
Identifying the cause of a disease must always be the first step towards finding a cure.
▪
Marge could hear a man's steps in the hall.
▪
Nelson was no more than four or five steps away.
▪
Now that we've identified the problem, what's the next step ?
▪
Of course, starting the job-search is always a big step .
▪
Re-thinking our management techniques would be an important step in the right direction.
▪
Sal quickened his steps toward the hotel.
▪
She walked briskly, with quick, short steps.
▪
The discovery of penicillin was a gigantic step in the treatment of infections.
▪
The doctors say I'll make a full recovery, but I'm going to have to take it one step at a time.
▪
The first step towards achieving peace in the region will be to elect a government that represents all the people.
▪
The new law on drunk driving is being seen as a major step forward.
▪
The next step will be to make the pasta sauce.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Continue for as long as possible and record the number of steps.
▪
Have visual and verbal behaviours out of step with each other.
▪
He took a quick step backward.
▪
I would watch my step if I were you.
▪
Louie wailed, bolting off the steps into his house.
▪
The thieves slipped the Torah scroll from the case and left the metal decoration on steps near the synagogue.
▪
Tom and Marge caught the gondola from the church steps to San Marco, and walked from there to the Gritti.
▪
When he came up the steps on to the terrace, most of his child followers had fallen away.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
ahead
▪
But his dark rimmed glasses and old fashioned looks belie a career spent one step ahead .
▪
I scrambled to learn more and managed to keep a half step ahead of humiliation.
▪
This is stepping ahead to the next consideration of the Lady of the Hearth as she who lights and tends the fire.
▪
It was a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of thrift regulators in Washington.
▪
The Vadinamians are usually step ahead .
▪
And thus begins a chase, with the Rat almost always being one step ahead .
▪
The opportunist, it turned out, was one step ahead of me.
aside
▪
Wallas Ward stepped aside with mock-deference.
▪
Except that Esther Kim stepped aside in the finals at the U.S.
▪
He stepped aside and the auburn-haired girl strode forward into the empty road carrying the roses loosely in her arm.
▪
I stepped aside from the other parents in case he wanted some help, but he barely gave me a glance.
▪
He stepped aside to let some one through.
▪
The modem world from which I had briefly stepped aside seemed to come crowding in again.
▪
Finally the guard steps aside and motions him through the turnstile.
away
▪
Connors stepped away and smiled pleasantly.
▪
Take one step away from those laws and you become a lecher, a libertine, an assassin.
▪
She told herself to step away , but her legs refused to move.
▪
Having won so many times, he places no stigma on stepping away , regrouping, aiming for another race.
▪
Jim said, wrapping up his remarks and stepping away from the lectern.
▪
She watched, numbly, as Matilda lowered her arm and stepped away .
back
▪
The man stepped back into the centre of the circle, and seemed almost to go to sleep.
▪
A more sophisticated analysis drives them to step back and ask whether success on these terms is worth it.
▪
He stepped back at once, and the sweat of fear was upon his pale face.
▪
I stepped back , watching the spot in the dirt where I would fall.
▪
Creed stepped back in fright - or tried to.
▪
Ezra stepped back , eyeing the wheel which shifted just a little left and right, commanding it to be still.
▪
Once the macabre masque was over, Ranulf stepped back .
▪
Simon and Tony stepped back against the wall to avoid injury.
backwards
▪
The figure stepped backwards into the darkness.
▪
Startled, Bunny stepped backwards , dragging Meredith with him.
▪
Oh, the disgusted look on women's faces as they step backwards through a doorway, out of the rain.
▪
Anne stepped backwards , the train rocking under her feet, making her unsteady.
▪
Time is like stepping backwards you said tonight, the future's always dark.
▪
To step backwards into the limbo of the last five years.
▪
We step backwards towards the car.
closer
▪
Probably, the presence of a mutant gene just brings an individual one step closer to the possibility of cancer.
▪
He stepped closer to the table for a look at his ancestors.
▪
Another one down, another step closer to the tournament.
▪
He stepped closer , unsmiling, slowly slid strong hands on her waist.
▪
He stepped closer to John Russell's roan horse and I remember the first thing he said.
▪
She shrugged off the dressing gown and stepped closer to Patrick.
▪
He stepped closer , closed the gap between their bodies.
down
▪
John's appeal enabled Khrushchev to step down without losing face.
▪
There was no breathing going on in this house and Mavis stepped down completely and looked expectantly at the clock.
▪
Impressed by Chandrika's brilliant campaigning, Mrs Bandaranaike stepped down as party leader before the 1994 parliamentary elections.
▪
He stepped down to a dirt floor two feet below the threshold.
▪
She succeeds Caroline Marland, who is stepping down after 24 years with the company.
▪
Since Kmart is no longer an OfficeMax shareholder, he stepped down , OfficeMax said.
▪
Wycliffe stepped down into the little hall and pushed open the door of the shop itself.
▪
Club coach Allen Foster stepped down last week.
first
▪
Finding or remembering an evocative scent is a good first step .
▪
That is the necessary first step .
forward
▪
Urquhart stepped forward out of the blackness, his profile framed by the window.
▪
Tampa Bay long ago discarded playoff talk, but the Bucs are restless to step forward .
▪
Discussions are under way over bringing this second step forward to 2000.
▪
Then, Hoppy stepped forward with a handshake and a hug for the honoree.
▪
He stepped forward and advanced slowly up the ramp, still singing in that voice which shook the rafters.
▪
Karen was tapped for the Address, stepped forward , and said it perfectly.
▪
Isaac stepped forward to stand beside Alan, and began to speak.
▪
But some critics already have stepped forward to question whether Lake is up to the task.
in
▪
Forrester, Tinkler, Whelan, Kelly, Sharp all seem ready to step in when other players are off-form.
▪
Brad Gillis of Night Ranger stepped in to finish the tour.
▪
The thaw came yesterday afternoon when Dalglish's right hand man Ray Harford stepped in .
▪
The door was locked behind them as soon as they stepped in .
▪
The door creaked open and Berger stepped in , Eggar at his back.
▪
It fouled up the airline for five days until President Clinton stepped in .
▪
That's why large companies often fall and small companies step in .
▪
But there was no health insurance agency in town, so no one stepped in to meet that need.
inside
▪
Step inside , however, and you enter a technological time warp.
▪
He pulled the doors back, stepped inside , swung the flashlight across the dirt floor.
▪
The lock clicked as they approached, and they stepped inside .
▪
Creed stepped inside and closed both doors again, feeling as if he'd just voluntarily shut himself up in a cell.
▪
We take a couple of steps inside .
▪
There was no one around in the hall to see me as I stepped inside .
▪
After a second she nudged the screen door open and stepped inside .
off
▪
Anyone not on a sheet of paper or who steps off , drops out of the game.
▪
Neither dares step off the treadmill while it can afford to stay in the race.
▪
They stepped off the pavement outside and crossed over to another group of shops that curved around the square.
▪
Within an hour of stepping off the plane I was meeting with top people at the Economic Development Board.
▪
Burun stepped off the back of his st'lyan into the cart.
▪
The minute we step off the plane, we see Mami has not exaggerated.
▪
As he stepped off the pavement to cross the side street, he felt as if he were stepping off a cliff.
▪
Guests step off the elevator into dimly lit halls, a dubious signature of Starckdesigned hotels.
on
▪
The trick was to turn off the instant you stepped on to the catwalk.
▪
Nathan watched him step on to a crate.
▪
She stepped on the emergency brake and got out to help Paul get his suitcase in the trunk.
▪
So he steps on for another mouthful; and this time doesn't jump back.
▪
New Hampshire health authorities stepped on , demanding to know where the girl was.
▪
The moment they stepped on to the moor itself their feet sank almost to the ankle.
▪
Entering the final lap, Boulmerka was bumped and stepped on by two runners, then bumped again from behind by another.
out
▪
Quickly, Mayli stepped out from the trolley.
▪
Returning to the side door, he stood just inside it for a while and then stepped out to the sidewalk.
▪
The sharp night air made them step out .
▪
She wrapped it round herself, like a sarong, under her arms, and stepped out of the water.
▪
Jarvis stepped out on to the stoop.
▪
Fortunately the pair were off to different events when they stepped out in the identical £420 jackets.
▪
It swung open easily into the vacuum, and he stepped out into the now silent centrifuge.
outside
▪
It came as a shock to discover, when she stepped outside , that it was dark.
▪
They had to step outside and corral six other men to help before they could position it tastefully in the showroom.
▪
For days, every time you step outside , you can still smell the smoke from this fire.
▪
The sky was almost black when he and Tom stepped outside .
▪
But let him not step outside in the darkness!
▪
After some time she stepped outside .
▪
After opening the door for them, he stepped outside under the awning and watched them depart.
over
▪
In the event she had to step over one of its feet.
▪
We step over gnarled roots, and the wet grasses brush against us as we walk.
▪
They are stepping over the invisible, moralistic Maginot Line of the old culture of opposition.
▪
Claudia, standing by the window, looking down at the street, knew the moment he stepped over the threshold.
▪
Liz stepped over the bottom stair, which always creaked.
▪
She stepped over to the third sink and started to scrub up.
▪
There was not a man present who had not stepped over bodies of rivals to claw his way to his present position.
▪
A man lies on the sidewalk outside Tiffany's, passers-by just stepping over him.
right
▪
She stepped right in my face.
▪
I stepped right up and gestured in the rain; they consulted.
▪
But this day he was all action, stepping right up to Nick and thumping him hard.
up
▪
The sampling rate has been stepped up to 100 samples per second in real time.
▪
But I really believe everybody is going to step up .
▪
Efforts to crush the trade have been stepped up recently.
▪
As black participation in the economy increased, the level of repression to enforce apartheid was stepped up .
▪
Alternatively, you could step up the exotic look and imitate the Maquis.
▪
Special teams has to step up .
▪
The hospital's now stepping up its own security measures.
▪
Nervous, I stepped up to judgment.
■ NOUN
breach
▪
Who will step into the breach ?
▪
Pawelski would like to step into the breach .
▪
So Mrs Thatcher, demonstrating hitherto unsuspected social graces, decided to step into the breach herself.
▪
Mixed, she said, because it had given the theatre the opportunity to invite P.L. O'Hara to step into the breach .
▪
You are very brave to step into the breach .
▪
At the eleventh hour, Halifax has stepped into the breach .
campaign
▪
He says his next move is to set up an action committee to step up his campaign .
▪
After speaking on the Senate floor in the morning, he stepped on the chartered campaign plane in a dark suit.
▪
We'd both been inspired by Frank's release to step up our fitness campaign .
▪
Than Tun stepped up the propaganda campaign to end military government.
▪
In the past two weeks the administration has stepped up its campaign to encourage voluntary service.
car
▪
Shakily Ruth stepped out of the car , reaching for her raffia shoulder-bag in the back seat.
▪
The Feldwebel stepped out of the car and opened the door for me.
▪
Another pulled into her driveway and was bitten when she stepped out of the car .
▪
A cordon of stagehands appeared from nowhere and surrounded me as I stepped out of the car .
▪
She nodded, stepped out of the car .
▪
As Jenna stepped out of the car there was only silence and she frowned at her own stupidity.
▪
I step out of the car and draw myself up slowly to height.
door
▪
He pulled the doors back, stepped inside, swung the flashlight across the dirt floor.
▪
The blond young man from the back door stepped into the living room; his nose was running grossly and copiously.
▪
Jenny smacked the release button sharply, opened the door and stepped out.
▪
The door opens and in steps a huge man-the harpooner.
▪
She pushed the door open wider and stepped in from the porch.
▪
Mr Johnson opened the door and stepped out.
effort
▪
In the meantime, we have to step up our efforts to find this damn ship.
▪
Another winter like this one and there might be a need for stepped up water-conservation efforts , he said.
▪
Alton stepped up their efforts and a determined run from the back by Miller set up a series of corners.
▪
By stepping up anti-fraud efforts , the administration hopes to save $ 3 billion over five years.
gas
▪
According to his lawyer, Brooks claims he heard some one utter the N-word, so he stepped on the gas .
▪
A car honked behind him, and Miguel gratefully stepped on the gas .
▪
Miguel stepped on the gas , roaring past all of them with a gust of dirt.
▪
Then he stepped on the gas and sped away from him.
▪
He stepped on the gas suddenly.
▪
Miguel stepped on the gas and grinned.
gear
▪
But United stepped up a gear and regained the lead four minutes later.
▪
Coleraine, out of touch in midfield, stepped up a gear and created several good chances.
▪
The Melrose pack were able to step up a gear when they wanted, especially with Gala's entire front row absent.
▪
The visitors heeded the warning and stepped up a gear .
line
▪
She has never stepped out of line .
▪
He just felt it was easier to step across the state line and have people groveling at your doorstep.
▪
It is dangerous to be too conspicuously successful, or to step out of line .
▪
Clearly state what you want and make it worthwhile not to step over the line of intolerable behavior.
▪
If you step out of line once more you're fired.
▪
He's not going to step out of line unnecessarily.
▪
Others step over the line and physically batter their children.
▪
We are not engaged in proving the universe to be nomic, or defying it to step out of line .
moment
▪
The moment they stepped on to the moor itself their feet sank almost to the ankle.
▪
It rains nonstop from the moment I step off the plane.
▪
One way to instil confidence is to start with a positive attitude and this starts the moment you step up to the ball.
▪
Claudia, standing by the window, looking down at the street, knew the moment he stepped over the threshold.
▪
Louise saw him miss the beat, and she seized the moment , stepping forward.
▪
The moment they step out of the mystery they become ordinary.
▪
The moment Joseph stepped through the doorway he began coughing uncontrollably.
pressure
▪
When Manly-Warringah dropped out of the chase, St George stepped up the pressure and have never really let off.
▪
Rather, they said, it was the imminent death of the hunger strikers that stepped up the political pressure this week.
▪
United began to step up their pressure and took the lead after 30 minutes when Sharpe celebrated his recall in fine style.
▪
In almost identical terms, constituency parties in the province and Britain have stepped up the pressure for a decisive Government move.
road
▪
We step off the main road , down two steps and into one of two rooms which constitute home.
▪
He stepped back on to the road and turned off his flashlight.
▪
The man didn't give way, and Erlich stepped into the road to let him pass.
▪
Just as his father stepped into the road , a car turned the corner.
▪
Now is the time for tonics to help us forget the pain and step out on the road to recovery.
▪
What about the greater steps on the evolutionary road ?
▪
Keeping her distance, she had stepped into the road and watched in dismay until Ixora had turned the corner.
▪
He stepped out into the road and waved his arms.
room
▪
It was like stepping from a lit room into illimitable, unknowable night.
▪
He looked as if he had just stepped out of a drawing room in the shires.
▪
Then he stepped out of the room , turning off his box.
▪
He paused for a moment, checking the hall and stairs before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.
▪
Then his grandmother steps into the treatment room .
▪
I left my slippers outside and stepped into a dim room where Gandhi lay on a pallet on the earthen floor.
shoe
▪
She stepped into her shoes , grabbed her clothes, and ran that way.
▪
There are the chronically shod who would only dream of stepping out of their shoes in the shower or in bed.
▪
Their wives, hand in hand, stepping carefully in expensive shoes over the summer's jetsam, brought up the rear.
▪
Caroline stepped from her shoes , then from her dress as she made her way across the room.
▪
Perhaps it is the beauty of the surroundings, the tradition of stepping in the shoes of countless generations of faithful people.
■ VERB
ask
▪
But later he told a Melbourne radio station that he would demand an explanation if he were asked to step down.
▪
I was asked to step outside while my fate was decided.
▪
Joost asked me to step forward, remove my jacket and bend over.
▪
The federal lawsuit asks a judge to step in and halt the project until the environmental issues are sorted out.
▪
You should come with your cap in your hand and ask leave before you step in here.
▪
Mr Klesch is thus being asked to step in as the disinterested negotiator.
▪
However, I do not want to offend my local church organist by asking her to step down.
▪
I never asked you to step in back there.
open
▪
I gave the woman a nod, and when the doors opened Janir and I stepped out on to the concrete platform.
▪
Shrugging, she moved to the Doctor's door, and pushed it open , stepping lightly inside.
▪
The door opens and in steps a huge man-the harpooner.
▪
Mr Johnson opened the door and stepped out.
▪
Willie opened the door and stepped in.
▪
Suddenly the door opened and Clarisa stepped out.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
false move/step
▪
A false step, a forgotten detail.
▪
And marriage, I should have thought, is a false step you must have been well warned against.
▪
Any false starts or false moves will result in error and the telltale bugs.
▪
Leicester are the sporting equivalent of those brave landmine engineers who operate in areas where one false move can destroy everything.
▪
No regrets, no hesitation; there were no false moves left in me.
▪
One false move in the conduct of the attack will spell certain doom for White.
▪
One false step and we would be down there too.
▪
Risking a false step in the bog, she sped over the path.
spring in your step
▪
But suddenly the sight of Giuseppe Signori's invitingly lofted ball into the penalty area put a spring in his step.
▪
He walks away with a high spring in his step.
▪
It read: Bedford, keep the spring in your step.
▪
Kangaroo has not changed our lives, just given us deeper pockets and put a little more spring in our steps.
▪
Preston emerged after the interval with a new spring in their step, and the game took on a different complexion.
▪
The candidates, their staffs and the press have a spring in their steps.
▪
There was a spring in his step, and ineffable calmness dressing his sun-brown face.
▪
There was a new spring in his step, a feeling of youthful zest stirring his muscles.
springy step/walk
step into the breach
▪
At the eleventh hour, Halifax has stepped into the breach .
▪
Mixed, she said, because it had given the theatre the opportunity to invite P.L. O'Hara to step into the breach .
▪
Pawelski would like to step into the breach .
▪
So Mrs Thatcher, demonstrating hitherto unsuspected social graces, decided to step into the breach herself.
▪
Who will step into the breach ?
▪
You are very brave to step into the breach .
step into/fill sb's shoes
▪
She stepped into her shoes , grabbed her clothes, and ran that way.
stepping stones
the naughty step
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
After a few minutes, he stepped back from her.
▪
And it left open the fourth option, to step up military action against Hanoi and otherwise escalate the war.
▪
By stepping up a grade, the bond will be more valuable in the market.
▪
Fortunately the pair were off to different events when they stepped out in the identical £420 jackets.
▪
He stepped out of cover and walked up to her.
▪
He had also stepped on a mine.
▪
She stepped over to the third sink and started to scrub up.
▪
They had not gone far, when they had stepped into a small clearing.