steppingstone
Americannoun
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a stone, or one of a line of stones, in shallow water, a marshy place, or the like, that is stepped on in crossing.
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a stone for use in mounting or ascending.
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any means or stage of advancement or improvement.
She looked on the governorship as a steppingstone to the presidency.
Etymology
Origin of steppingstone
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another school, the Steppingstone School for Gifted Education, paid $1 million to buy 6.5 acres and the 37,500-square-foot showroom and service building from a closed Chevrolet dealership in the Detroit area.
From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2010
Steppingstone to the Dodecanese Islands off Turkey is Rhodes, where, as one poet says, "the days drop as softly as fruit from trees."
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
