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
These colleges are the stepping stone to the NFL, their football teams drawing thousands of fans and generating millions of dollars.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hopefully, the win over the Eagles is just a stepping stone to much bigger things.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The state Department of Health Services warns e-cigarettes can become a stepping stone to addiction and liquid nicotine can contain heavy metals like lead, among other health risks.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Norvell sees this as a lifetime job, not a stepping stone.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
In hardware, custom projects can be stepping stones toward scalable designs.
—Yurii Zinchenko, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Pro-independence activists have frequently accused Dharamsala of muzzling their voices to reassure Beijing that the Dalai Lama’s calls for autonomy are genuine and not a stepping stone to independence.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
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Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hopefully, the win over the Eagles is just a stepping stone to much bigger things.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The state Department of Health Services warns e-cigarettes can become a stepping stone to addiction and liquid nicotine can contain heavy metals like lead, among other health risks.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Norvell sees this as a lifetime job, not a stepping stone.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
In hardware, custom projects can be stepping stones toward scalable designs.
—Yurii Zinchenko, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Pro-independence activists have frequently accused Dharamsala of muzzling their voices to reassure Beijing that the Dalai Lama’s calls for autonomy are genuine and not a stepping stone to independence.
—Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stepping stone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepping%20stone. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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