stepping stone
Britishnoun
-
one of a series of stones acting as footrests for crossing streams, marshes, etc
-
a circumstance that assists progress towards some goal
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.
Whether QMM proves to be the final word or a stepping stone, it opens a startling possibility: the universe may not only be geometry and energy.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026
Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon, a councillor and self-employed plumber who came second to Labour in 2024, said Makerfield "isn't a stepping stone" for him.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The green group said the corridor follows the "stepping stone" connectivity model developed by Bugslife, which shows that habitat patches no more than 300m apart can restore ecosystems at a landscape scale.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
It is just a stepping stone to the real end of the race.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
But that was itself a mere stepping stone to greater things.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
