step aside

== English == === Pronunciation === === Verb === step aside (third-person singular simple present steps aside, present participle stepping aside, simple past and past participle stepped aside) (intransitive) To move out of the way of somebody or something. (figurative) To make room for others as replacements by withdrawing from a position or service. Coordinate term: step down To deviate from the right or proper path; to err or stray. 18th c., Robert Burns, Address to the Unco Guid, or The Rigidly Righteous: To step aside is human. To walk to a little distance; retire for the occasion. ==== Related terms ==== === References === William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “step aside”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. “step aside”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.