baby step
noun
: a very small step or advance in progress
These companies can create products that take a real leap forward, rather than the traditional baby steps that larger companies with greater commitments must make.—
Home Theater
Home Theater
baby-step
verb, transitive + intransitive
baby-stepped; baby-stepping
… after the 2-1 victory that baby-stepped the sixth-place Rangers within four points of the first-place Devils …
—Larry Brooks
Larry Brooks
"This is murder," John Chaney had said in that ever-raspy voice as he baby-stepped toward the court Thursday night. "My feet are killing me."
—Tom Archdeacon
Tom Archdeacon
Examples of baby step in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rocky Start OpenAI floundered in its early years, struggling to come up with a scheme that made leaps, not baby steps, toward its goal.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
Better to think of this less as the first in a potential series and more like an extraordinary calling card — not the beginning of endless sequels but the baby step toward a long and fruitful career.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2023
And while some people may be compelled to do just that, others need baby steps.
—Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 12 Sep. 2023
Be kind to yourself, but consider making a baby step toward cutting back.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2023
But there will be no huge leaps here — baby steps, although frustrating sometimes, are key.
—Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 27 Aug. 2023
His paper showed that this sequence can arrive at the optimal point nearly three times faster than it would by taking constant baby steps.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Aug. 2023
Instead, the field’s conventional wisdom for decades has been to take baby steps.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Aug. 2023
For those who want to embark on a similar journey of their own, the consensus from zero-waste experts is to skip the trash jar, start with one low-waste practice, and take baby steps.
—WIRED, 5 Aug. 2023
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WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
Better to think of this less as the first in a potential series and more like an extraordinary calling card — not the beginning of endless sequels but the baby step toward a long and fruitful career.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2023
And while some people may be compelled to do just that, others need baby steps.
—Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 12 Sep. 2023
Be kind to yourself, but consider making a baby step toward cutting back.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2023
But there will be no huge leaps here — baby steps, although frustrating sometimes, are key.
—Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 27 Aug. 2023
His paper showed that this sequence can arrive at the optimal point nearly three times faster than it would by taking constant baby steps.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Aug. 2023
Instead, the field’s conventional wisdom for decades has been to take baby steps.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Aug. 2023
For those who want to embark on a similar journey of their own, the consensus from zero-waste experts is to skip the trash jar, start with one low-waste practice, and take baby steps.
—WIRED, 5 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baby step.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1825, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near baby step
Cite this Entry
“Baby step.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baby%20step. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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