as in gradual
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees
the incessant step-by-step advance of the enemy's troops could no longer be resisted
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Recent Examples of step-by-step
This step-by-step model can make a complex process feel more manageable.
—
Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
The websites provided computer code and step-by-step instructions to make firearms, machine gun conversion kits and accessories, the lawsuit said, in violation of California law.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 9 Feb. 2026
Though the centers already had a general plan for responding to ICE, developing a step-by-step protocol in case ICE comes to a center now took on an unprecedented urgency.
—Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 6 Feb. 2026
The team performed these measurements under active heating, which provided a step-by-step view of how the material’s bonding environment responded to thermal stress.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for step-by-step
Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
The websites provided computer code and step-by-step instructions to make firearms, machine gun conversion kits and accessories, the lawsuit said, in violation of California law.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 9 Feb. 2026
Though the centers already had a general plan for responding to ICE, developing a step-by-step protocol in case ICE comes to a center now took on an unprecedented urgency.
—Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 6 Feb. 2026
The team performed these measurements under active heating, which provided a step-by-step view of how the material’s bonding environment responded to thermal stress.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for step-by-step
Recent Examples of Synonyms for step-by-step
gradual
Adjective
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Instead, restrictive financial policies would show up as higher interest costs, slower growth, inflation pressures, unlikeable taxes and years of gradual adjustment.—
Steve Booren,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
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The result is not merely confusion about who is responsible but a gradual weakening of the expectations that make responsibility meaningful at all.—
Deb Roy,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Step-by-step.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/step-by-step. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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