lockstep

[ lok-step ]
/ ˈlɒkˌstɛp /

noun

a way of marching in very close file, in which the leg of each person moves with and closely behind the corresponding leg of the person ahead.
a rigidly inflexible pattern or process.

adjective

rigidly inflexible: a lockstep educational curriculum.

Origin of lockstep

First recorded in 1795–1805; lock1 + step

Words nearby lockstep

Example sentences from the Web for lockstep

British Dictionary definitions for lockstep

lockstep
/ (ˈlɒkˌstɛp) /

noun

a method of marching in step such that the men follow one another as closely as possible
mainly US and Canadian a standard procedure that is closely, often mindlessly, followed
in lockstep with progressing at exactly the same speed and in the same direction as other people or things, esp as a matter of course rather than by choice