step by step
phrase
by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
Showing results for step by step.
Search instead for
step-by-step guide.
Jump To:
-
step by step
-
step-by-step
step-by-stepadjectivegiving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
step by step
1 Americanphrase
-
by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradually.
-
by completing one task or action at a time toward the accomplishment of a goal.
-
by taking one step after another with the feet, or at a slow, deliberate walking pace.
step-by-step
2
American
adjective
-
giving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
-
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:
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
“You’re going to see step by step, and piece by piece, they’re going to bring significant portions of their business home,” Lutnick said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Evolution does not aim for perfection; it works with what is available, modifying structures step by step.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 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
He saw Bigwig and Silver and went to join them, flicking the wet off his front paws step by step, like a cat.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
The argument had to be reduced to a mind-numbing step-by-step formal argument, and so did all the mathematics that it was based on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
They may initially allow small withdrawals to make the investment appear legitimate and provide step-by-step guidance on making larger deposits.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
The best way to think about it is a step-by-step route - picture a flow chart - that teenagers can follow from school into any given technical career.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
“Plan to meet to begin a step-by-step investigation, a community support program, and bring in the legal team, and see what the next steps are.”
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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.
