steppingstone
[step-ing-stohn]
|
noun
a stone, or one of a line of stones, in shallow water, a marshy place, or the like, that is stepped on in crossing.
a stone for use in mounting or ascending.
any means or stage of advancement or improvement: She looked on the governorship as a steppingstone to the presidency.
RELATED WORDS
vehicle, medium, power, equipment, process, route, technique, system, mechanism, instrument, step, mode, tactic, measure, factor, channel, aid, apparatus, fashion, agent
Nearby words
- steppenwolf,
- stepper,
- steppes,
- stepping stone,
- stepping-off place,
- stepsibling,
- stepsister,
- stepson,
- stepstool,
- steptoe
Origin of steppingstone
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for steppingstone
The ships going out of port were such a steppingstone to him, and a vague consciousness came back to him of having been in a ship.
A Simpleton|Charles Reade