stepping stone

noun

variants or less commonly stepping-stone

ˈste-piŋ-ˌstōn 

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

As 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

2

: 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

Each 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

Examples of stepping stone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Senate confirmation process could raise questions of experience Hamilton could face pushback in the Senate confirmation process over never having led an emergency management agency, a common stepping stone to becoming administrator of an agency with over 21,000 employees. —Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026

Senate confirmation process could raise questions of experience Hamilton could face pushback in the Senate confirmation process over never having led an emergency management agency, a common stepping stone to becoming administrator of an agency with over 21,000 employees. —Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026

Hamilton could face pushback in the Senate confirmation process over never having led an emergency management agency, a common stepping stone to becoming administrator of an agency with over 21,000 employees. —ABC News, 11 May 2026

But while Blackstreet's investments all but guaranteed its CEO's son's team a stepping stone to the next level, Gunty sold others the same dream. —Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 7 May 2026

Be sure to take the stepping stone walkway over the sand and shallow water to the Director’s Cut restaurant to enjoy tasty dishes such as fresh sashimi and black cod while watching a movie on a giant screen perched over the water. —William Curtis, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2026

For a simple update, consider adding a stepping stone path or lining the route with landscape lights. —Marisa Donnelly, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2026

This ornamental thyme can be used to fill in the sandy spaces between stepping stones or crevices in rock walls. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026

Municipal offices are often a stepping stone to higher office. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stepping stone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone

Kids Definition

stepping-stone

noun

step·​ping-stone

ˈstep-iŋ-ˌstōn

1

: a stone on which to step (as in crossing a stream)

2

: something aiding in progress or advancement

a stepping-stone to success