Meaning & use
naughty step
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A step or small chair where a child is made to sit as a punishment for behaving badly.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a naughty step' or 'the naughty step'.
Patterns
- on the naughty step
- sit on the naughty step
- put someone on the naughty step
When my little brother bit me, Mom put him on the naughty step for five minutes.
She sat on the naughty step until she said sorry.
The naughty step is at the bottom of the stairs in our house.
nounsingularfigurativehumorous
A situation in which someone is excluded or made to feel they have done something wrong.
Grammar: Usually singular and used figuratively, often after 'on'.
Patterns
- on the naughty step
- put someone on the naughty step
After the scandal, the minister was put on the naughty step by his party.
The company found itself on the naughty step for breaking advertising rules.
Word forms
| plural | naughty steps |
|---|
Common combinations
- on the naughty step
- He spent ten minutes on the naughty step for shouting.
- sit on the naughty step
- The toddler refused to sit on the naughty step.
- put someone on the naughty step
- His parents put him on the naughty step for lying.
- the naughty step
- The naughty step is a common discipline method in the UK.
Synonyms and how they differ
- time-out
- The American equivalent; it refers to the break itself rather than the physical step.
- punishment spot
- A general term, not a fixed expression; less common and not idiomatic.
Practice
Where did you put him? — I put him ___ the naughty step.
Choose one answer.
We say 'on the naughty step' because the child sits on a surface. 'In' would suggest being inside something, which doesn't fit a step.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “naughty step”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.