milestone

noun mile·stone \ ˈmī(-ə)l-ˌstōn \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: milestone in a Sentence

Definition of milestone

1 : a stone serving as a milepost (see milepost 1)

2 : a significant point in development

Graduating from college was an important milestone in her life.

See milestone defined for English-language learners

See milestone defined for kids

Examples of milestone in a Sentence

the new drug was regarded as a milestone in the treatment of heart disease

Recent Examples of milestone from the Web

So today’s milestone is just the beginning of many exciting things to come for New Horizons.

— loren grush, The Verge, "NASA’s New Horizons probe woke up today to prep for its next deep space flyby," 5 June 2018
The book explores the political tension around the space program at the time, the nerve-wracking anxiety experienced by the families of the crew, and the heart-stopping moments of the mission that proved to be such a milestone.

— andrea gawrylewski, Scientific American, "Apollo, the Graphic Novel; Scientists on Acid and Other New Science Books," 1 June 2018
Italy’s election was another milestone in the unfolding of this future.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Is the World Done With Liberal Democracy?," 1 June 2018
Perhaps the most Instagrammed milestone, however, is The Wedding.

— hayley bloomingdale, Vogue, "Wedding Season Instagram Rules: Tips for Posting Before, During, and After," 31 May 2018
Well, going public in and of itself was never a milestone for us, honestly.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full video and transcript: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek at Code 2018," 31 May 2018
Still, Portnoy’s Complaint was a milestone in Roth’s career, and not just because of its commercial success.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Philip Roth, the Mandarin Joker," 23 May 2018
The next critical milestone will be an assessment expected by the end of next month of South Africa’s credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service, which placed the nation on review for a downgrade in November.

— Bloomberg.com, "With Zuma Finally Out, Market Focus Turns to Hard Task of Reform," 15 Feb. 2018
Parsons is the third NWSL coach to reach the 50-win milestone.

— jamie goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Christine Sinclair, Lindsey Horan lead Portland Thorns to big win over Utah Royals at home," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'milestone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of milestone

First Known Use of milestone

1662

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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milestone Synonyms

Synonyms

climax, corner, landmark, milepost, turning point, watershed;

conversion, metamorphosis, transfiguration, transformation, turnabout, turnaround;

boiling point, breaking point, clutch, conjuncture, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, emergency, head, juncture, zero hour;

Other Transportation Terms

camber, corduroy, demurrage

MILESTONE Defined for English Language Learners

milestone

noun

Definition of milestone for English Language Learners

: a stone by the side of a road that shows the distance in miles to a specified place
: an important point in the progress or development of something : a very important event or advance