lockstep

American  

[lok-step] / ˈlɒkˌstɛp /

noun

1. a way of marching in very close file, in which the leg of each person moves with and closely behind the corresponding leg of the person ahead.

2. a rigidly inflexible pattern or process.

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adjective

1. rigidly inflexible.

   a lockstep educational curriculum.

lockstep British  

/ ˈlɒkˌstɛp /

noun

1. a method of marching in step such that the men follow one another as closely as possible

2. a standard procedure that is closely, often mindlessly, followed

3. progressing at exactly the same speed and in the same direction as other people or things, esp as a matter of course rather than by choice

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Etymology

Origin of lockstep

First recorded in 1795–1805; lock ¹ + step

Example Sentences

Others aren’t so sure, pointing to the long hiatus, the off-screen turmoil and a television landscape that no longer moves in lockstep.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Producer Randy Weiner and his wife, the director Diane Paulus, needed to get the audience in lockstep from the start to the finish of the show in just under two hours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Israeli officials are keen to emphasise that the two countries are in lockstep, even if they occasionally, inadvertently, hint at gaps.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Kalshi and Polymarket traders were mostly in lockstep, with each incorrect prediction on Kalshi mirrored on Polymarket—except for one.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Cultures do not develop with identical rhythms or evolve in lockstep.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan