FIRST STEP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does first step mean? 

• FIRST STEP (noun)
  The noun FIRST STEP has 1 sense:

1. the first of a series of actions

  Familiarity information: FIRST STEP used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FIRST STEP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The first of a series of actions

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

first step; initiative; opening; opening move

Hypernyms ("first step" is a kind of...):

beginning; commencement; start (the act of starting something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "first step"):

curtain raiser (any preliminary activity)

first base (the initial stage in accomplishing something)

peace initiative (opening move in negotiating a peace treaty)

 Context examples 

The first step in the production of eicosanoids is the release of arachidonic acid from either diacylglycerol or phospholipids by membrane bound phospholipases in response to extracellular stimulus.

(Eicosanoid Metabolism Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The first step is phosphorylation to produce galactose 1-phosphate.

(Feeder Pathways for Glycolysis, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

When will my baby take his first step or say her first word?

(Infant and Newborn Development, NIH)

The first step in getting help is to tell someone you trust.

(Domestic Violence, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The first step for asparagine catabolism is hydrolysis by the enzyme asparaginase, releasing aspartate and ammonia.

(Catabolic Pathway for Asparagine and Aspartate, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

It’s the first step to explore the magnetic fields around the planets themselves.

(Even 'Goldilocks' exoplanets need a well-behaved star, National Science Foundation )

Identifying these novel variants represents a first step towards fully expanding the study of genomics to underrepresented populations.

(Global human genome study reveals our complex evolutionary history, University of Cambridge)

Defects in acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the first step in beta-oxidation, appear to be involved in some cases of sudden infant death syndrome.

(Beta-Oxidation of Fatty Acids Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Finding a lead compound is the first step in making a new drug to treat a disease.

(Lead compound, NCI Dictionary)

The first step cleaves an extracellular domain and is catalyzed by a metalloprotease termed alpha-secretase or TACE.

(Notch and Wnt Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)