milestone

[mahyl-stohn]

noun

1. a stone functioning as a milepost.

2. a significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation, etc..

   Her getting the job of supervisor was a milestone in her career.

milestone

/ ˈmaɪlˌstəʊn /

noun

1. a stone pillar that shows the distance in miles to or from a place

2. a significant event in life, history, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of milestone¹

First recorded in 1740–50; mile + stone

Example Sentences

Greyson was meeting all his milestones and speaking normally until age 2, when he started regressing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Karen Knight, coordinator of the group's community meals scheme, said the milestone reflected the hard work of volunteers who had made a "real impact" across the wider community.

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Strong earnings reports briefly helped power the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 47000 for the first time, the latest milestone in stocks’ three-year bull run.

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May's milestone is still one very few people achieve despite the number of centenarians in the UK doubling over the past 20 years.

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The US State Department called it "an important milestone in ending illegal immigration", and "shutting down abuse" of the US asylum system.

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Related Words

• anniversary 
• breakthrough 
• discovery 
• event 
• landmark 
• occasion 
• turning point