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 filled our water bottles in a large, clear lake set in smooth granite, crossed a stream using stepping stones, and started up a winding path that rose to a series of switchbacks.—
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
Sam viewed Shanghai as a strategic stepping stone to competing for the global branding position back home.
—Katrina Burrus, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Other voices – including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg – see nuclear energy as a stopgap or stepping stone on the way to more renewable solutions, such as wind and solar technologies.
—Jack Cooksey, USA Today, 21 May 2025
And this time, a coach who isn’t looking at UCF as a stepping stone but as a cornerstone.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 May 2025
Set exciting, achievable milestones as stepping stones.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
So many filmmakers nowadays use personal stories and potentially interesting protagonists as mere stepping stones to genre theatrics.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
The world's biggest rival powers are also both leading projects to get people to the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
—Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Hopefully his quarter final exploits prove to be a stepping stone to glory and the Europa League campaign ends on a high.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The film was a huge stepping stone for a slew of performers like Donald Faison, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Jeremy Sisto, and others.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 8 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Katrina Burrus, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
Other voices – including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg – see nuclear energy as a stopgap or stepping stone on the way to more renewable solutions, such as wind and solar technologies.
—Jack Cooksey, USA Today, 21 May 2025
And this time, a coach who isn’t looking at UCF as a stepping stone but as a cornerstone.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 May 2025
Set exciting, achievable milestones as stepping stones.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
So many filmmakers nowadays use personal stories and potentially interesting protagonists as mere stepping stones to genre theatrics.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
The world's biggest rival powers are also both leading projects to get people to the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.
—Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Hopefully his quarter final exploits prove to be a stepping stone to glory and the Europa League campaign ends on a high.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The film was a huge stepping stone for a slew of performers like Donald Faison, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Jeremy Sisto, and others.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepping stone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepping%20stone. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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