lockstep

plural locksteps · alternative lock-step · alternative lock step

1. uncountableusuallygovernmentA step whereby the toe of one man is brought very close to the heel of the man in front.
2. figurativelyuncountableusuallyClose connection, unison, rigid synchronization.

   The CIA's analysts learned to march in lockstep, conforming to conventional wisdom.

   2007, Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes, Penguin, published 2008, page xv

   1 more example

   But what [the Founding Fathers] weren’t counting on was lockstep partisanship, which translates today into a pro-Trump, pro-MAGA congressional majority that is likely to reinforce the president’s agenda, at least until the 2026 midterm elections.

   2025 February 25, Linda Feldmann, “How Trump skirts checks and balances unlike any modern-day US president”, in The Christian Science Monitor

3. uncountableusuallyAn inflexible, rigid or stifling pattern.

alternative lock-step · alternative lock step

1. not comparableIn close connection, in unison, synchronized.

   With both official university policies lock-step in favor of military recruitment, the next move is up to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.

   1983 February 5, Marc Killinger, “Universities Reinstate Military Recruiters”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 28, page 3