step-in

[ step-in ]

adjective

1. (of garments, shoes, etc.) put on by being stepped into.

noun

1. step-ins, panties, especially bias-cut panties with wide legs worn by women in the 1920s and 1930s.
2. any step-in garment.

step in

verb

1. informal.
   intr, adverb to intervene or involve oneself, esp dramatically or at a senior level

adjective

1. prenominal (of garments, etc) put on by being stepped into; without fastenings
2. (of a ski binding) engaging automatically when the boot is positioned on the ski

noun

1. often plural a step-in garment, esp underwear

Word History and Origins

Origin of step-in¹

First recorded in 1920–25; adj., noun use of verb phrase step in

Idioms and Phrases

Enter into an activity or situation; also, intervene. For example, The business was doing poorly until Stan stepped in , or They are going to make a mess of the mailing unless someone steps in and shows them what to do . [Late 1400s] Also see step into .

Example Sentences

"There needs to be change and there needs to be agreement with the regions to put some positive steps in place and affect change," said Gatland.

From BBC

Gensys Engine says the next step in the evolution of the tech is to go beyond just distinguishing between the types of squirrel and instead identify individual animals.

From BBC

For the Clippers, the Cup game gave them another chance to improve their sloppy play when it came to taking care of the basketball and to keep taking steps in the right direction.

From Los Angeles Times

Identifying this compound is an important step in that process.

From Science Daily

"These concentration estimates are the first steps in a larger monitoring effort, with further experimentation needed to determine the effects of time, distance and environmental factors on DNA detection rates," said Bahder.

From Science Daily