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

baby-step

ˈbā-bē-ˌstep 

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

"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

Examples of baby step in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Granted, these are baby steps toward Air New Zealand's goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025

Do not rush into decisions without thinking them through, but don’t hold yourself back from taking baby steps! —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2025

This Week: Stretch your freedom first with baby steps. —Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2025

In any event, the goal of preventing animal cruelty and abuse by humans has proved to necessitate a slow and steady approach, involving baby steps. —Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for baby step

• multistep
• overstep
• bicep
• doorstep
• footstep
• instep
• lockstep
• misstep
• sidestep
• cep
• hep
• pep