step aside
Idioms-
Move out of the way, as in Please step aside—I've got my arms full of groceries . This usage was first recorded in 1530.
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Withdraw, make room for a replacement, as in The senior researcher decided to step aside for a younger colleague . [Second half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Russini said she would step aside now, before her current contract expires June 30.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
And if it had no good reason—as she strongly implied—it ought to step aside and let the lower courts do their work.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026
The executives believe Wasserman will likely step aside from the music agency and sell that wing of his company.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
In an email to staff shared on social media by one of the newspaper's reporters, Lewis said it was "the right time for me to step aside."
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
If I step aside for a second, they come surging forward, tripping over themselves to ask her to dance.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
