step by step
phrase
by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
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step by step
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step-by-step
step-by-stepadjectivegiving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
step by step
1 Americanphrase
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by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
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by completing one task or action at a time toward the accomplishment of a goal.
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by taking one step after another with the feet, or at a slow, deliberate walking pace.
step-by-step
2
American
adjective
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giving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
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happening or done by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradual.
step by step
Idioms
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.
See Examples For:
"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
"That is why we are doing it carefully, step by step -- for what we can predict," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
During the demolition, she writes, “I received pictures of the destruction step by step from people in DC. I could barely look.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The civil complaint, while referencing some of the texts, lays out the alleged wrongdoing step by step.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Biting her lip, she dragged her aching leg step by step, and felt Vandara’s contemptuous eyes on her back.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
It launched a series of so-called reasoning models in the fall of 2024 that were able to work through problems step-by-step before answering, a capability that turned out to be well-suited for writing code.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
AI agents -- systems that act autonomously to complete tasks rather than just responding to step-by-step prompts in a chatbot -- are hailed across the industry as the next chapter in AI.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 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
Let's break it down step-by-step, consider the potential fouls and what the VAR would be looking for.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
He broke our rights down step-by-step as if there was no time to lose.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
