whole step

noun

, Music.

1. an interval of two semitones, as A-B or B-C♯; a major second.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whole step¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

This is a half step where a whole step is needed.

From Salon

“This could be a whole step forward for understanding magmatism—and the global composition of the bulk Earth.”

From Science Magazine

Others went so far as to demand that President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party as a whole step down.

From Los Angeles Times

Label the half steps and whole steps of the A minor scale.

From Literature

When they are a whole step apart, the note in between them can only be named using a flat or a sharp.

From Literature