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• step by step
  step by step

  phrase

  by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
• step-by-step
  step-by-step

  adjective

  giving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.

step by step

¹ American  

phrase

1. by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.

2. by completing one task or action at a time toward the accomplishment of a goal.

3. by taking one step after another with the feet, or at a slow, deliberate walking pace.

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step-by-step ² American  

adjective

1. giving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.

2. happening or done by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradual.

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step by step Idioms  

1. By degrees, as in You'll have to go through this recipe step by step. This idiom transfers putting one foot in front of the other to other kinds of progress. [c. 1700]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

step by step step-by-step

“Los Angeles has made it difficult to build housing at every level of government, and Raman has shown an inclination to address this step by step to make the process faster, easier and cheaper.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Sit down with him and outline, step by step, how you work and what changes you’ve had to make to his work.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

OpenAI published its findings along with the 165-page proof and a formalization that verifies the argument step by step.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

"We have to go step by step again, but we can't wait until we're physically top to start getting results," the Belgian said.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The silence is mad heavy between us, step by step.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

It’s a tale of an exacting, step-by-step plan to rob a racetrack and how it is wittily undone by even more meticulous and unforgiving fate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Robertson said it was "a step-by-step process" to get Betty ready to return to the water, as they had to work to increase her body temperature very gradually every day.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Market Hulbert provided a step-by-step guide to setting up a retirement income stream for 30 years with a guaranteed inflation-adjusted withdrawal rate of 5%.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

I like to enjoy my noods in soup form, but you can also follow this step-by-step process for stir-fried noodles.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

Projecting slides on the courtroom’s wood-paneled wall, he discussed each charge, illustrating step-by-step how the defendants had committed theft and espionage.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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Related Words

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