stepping

step·ping
S1T1E1P3P3I1N1G2
/ˈstɛpɪŋ/

noun

The act of taking a step.

“The 80386's early steppings have quite a lot of bugs, so some software specifically tests to make sure that the processor isn't one of those old versions.”

Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of step
nounstepping (countable and uncountable, plural steppings)

plural steppings

  1. countableuncountableThe act of taking a step.

    In the steppings of my feet, you are always my mother.

    2005, Miriandra Rota, Pathways and Parables for a Changing World, page 263
  2. countableuncountablecomputingA specific iteration of a model of central processing unit, often distinguished by the addition or removal of features compared to earlier examples of the same processor, or the presence, or lack thereof, of specific bugs.

    The 80386's early steppings have quite a lot of bugs, so some software specifically tests to make sure that the processor isn't one of those old versions.

  3. countableuncountableAn African-American form of dance in which the performer's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through footsteps, spoken word, and clapping.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishsteppynge
  2. Englishstepping

From Middle English steppynge; equivalent to step + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

stepping. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepping

MLA

“stepping.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepping. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stepping,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepping.

Source: stepping on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.