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Synonyms

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]

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.

"It's in their hands. We need time, an incredible break. I am exhausted and after we see step by step."

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Flick said the Copa del Rey holders had to go "step by step" with Raphinha's recovery.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

The lust for vengeance eventually gets the better of him, but Swenson leads us step by step to depravity through sorrow, injustice and humiliation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

These methods repeatedly guide a system toward configurations that reduce error, step by step, much like moving downhill across a landscape.

From Science Daily • Jan. 15, 2026

He for one would advance into the army step by step.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

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.