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.
giving or involving one task or action at a time toward a goal.
happening or done by small degrees, increments, or stages; gradual.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"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
“The Verdict” lays out, step by step, how the trial ended in Jackson’s full acquittal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 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
He had methodically worked his way through all of them, step by step.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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
At its annual developer conference, Microsoft Build, the group unveiled MAI-Thinking-1, its first "reasoning" model -- AI systems that break down problems step-by-step before responding, similar to offerings from OpenAI, Google or Anthropic.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
In recent decades, so-called scrum teams—cross-functional groups focused on deploying and iterating quickly—have replaced a slower, step-by-step engineering methodology known as “waterfall.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Maybe she was saying that a true crafter made do, and part of the joy of crafting was creating without step-by-step directions and a kit.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
