stepping stone
noun
variants
or less commonly stepping-stone
plural stepping stones also stepping-stones
1
: a stone on which to step (as in crossing a stream or following a path)
We … crossed a stream using stepping stones, and started up a winding path …—
Joshua Rothman
Joshua RothmanAs in a Japanese garden, where stepping-stones force you to savor your stroll, you must watch every step and wind your way around the Japanese pines and beach grasses.—Stephen Drucker
Stephen Drucker2
: a means of progress or advancement
a stepping stone to success
But now many more see a political job as a stepping stone to money, power and influence.—Barbara Gamarekian
Barbara GamarekianEach person I talked to was to be a stepping-stone to the overall plan. It was my job to educate them so they would take their natural places in the plan.—Jane Smiley
Jane SmileyExamples of stepping stone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The new paper is mostly an ethical exploration and, the authors acknowledge, still just a stepping stone to more concrete regulations, but granting ice rights would create firmer standing to, for example, keep ships out of areas that humanity might otherwise want to use.
—Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
But the school, at least for now, remains a stepping stone.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
The Bruins are no stepping stone.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
These colleges are the stepping stone to the NFL, their football teams drawing thousands of fans and generating millions of dollars.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hopefully, the win over the Eagles is just a stepping stone to much bigger things.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The state Department of Health Services warns e-cigarettes can become a stepping stone to addiction and liquid nicotine can contain heavy metals like lead, among other health risks.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Norvell sees this as a lifetime job, not a stepping stone.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
In hardware, custom projects can be stepping stones toward scalable designs.
—Yurii Zinchenko, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
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Brett Simpson, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
But the school, at least for now, remains a stepping stone.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
The Bruins are no stepping stone.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2025
These colleges are the stepping stone to the NFL, their football teams drawing thousands of fans and generating millions of dollars.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hopefully, the win over the Eagles is just a stepping stone to much bigger things.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The state Department of Health Services warns e-cigarettes can become a stepping stone to addiction and liquid nicotine can contain heavy metals like lead, among other health risks.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Norvell sees this as a lifetime job, not a stepping stone.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
In hardware, custom projects can be stepping stones toward scalable designs.
—Yurii Zinchenko, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepping stone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepping%20stone. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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