milestone

American  

[mahyl-stohn] / ˈmaɪlˌstoʊn /

noun

• milestones
  plural

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.

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milestone British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• milestones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of milestone

First recorded in 1740–50; mile + stone

Explanation

A milestone is a significant event in your life. Often a milestone marks the start of a new chapter. For example, the day you graduated from high school was a milestone in your life. Milestone literally refers to a roadside marker that lists the distance to a particular location. These days, the word is more often used figuratively to refer to significant events in life, like graduating from college or getting married. It acts sort of like the road sign: it's often a moment when you reflect on where you stand in life. A milestone can also be a nonpersonal event that results in a big change, such as a milestone victory or a company's sales milestone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

milestone milestones

The demonstration coincided with the 200-day milestone of the war and the anniversary of the 2022 death of a woman in Iranian police custody.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

To the aficionado, however, it marked a milestone.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

This week, the paper reached a milestone, marking a century covering L.A.’s increasingly diverse Latino community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

"This year's breeding success is another important milestone in the return of this lost species to England; it shows what can be achieved by very skilled wildlife managers," Roy Dennis OBE from the foundation said.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Between the lights and the ever-present blue ghosts of the Columbian Guard, the fair achieved another milestone: For the first time Chicagoans could stroll at night in perfect safety.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

That is the tale Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and administration officials have touted as the U.S. crossed borrowing milestones, with publicly held debt hitting 100% of gross domestic product and gross debt topping $40 trillion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The French president laid out a series of milestones he wants Europe to reach over the next decade.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

As Rosales racks up her accomplishments, the social media genius shares pictures of these milestones on her various Instagram pages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Kellanova said it would work with local partners to recognise and celebrate the site's legacy and would also continue to mark special milestones in the months ahead.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Assuming that the panda cub successfully meets the milestones of training, and that he remains healthy, he will be fitted with a radio collar for monitoring and moved to stage three—release into the wild habitat.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Related Words

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