Meanings
adjectivestep-down (not comparable)
- not comparableThat decreases in stages.
- not comparableThat reduces a voltage.
The internal lighting of the new locomotives can be supplied either from the battery or the dynostarter, and may also be connected to an external supply of 200-250 volts a.c. through a changeover switch and a step-down transformer.
1958 September 28, “Swindon's First Main-Line Diesel Locomotive”, in Railway Magazine, page 604
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
nounthe act of decreasing or reducing something
Similar
Broader
change of magnitude
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Deverbal from step down.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish jännitettä laskeva
- jännitettä laskevavoltage decrease
Vietnamese hạ thế
- hạ thếvoltage decrease
Cite this entry
APA
step-down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/step-down
MLA
“step-down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/step-down. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “step-down,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/step-down.
Source: step-down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.