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 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

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

This would essentially be a repeat of the Apollo 9 mission, buying down risk and providing a meaningful stepping stone between Artemis missions. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 11 June 2024

Contested primary races are being waged in districts 1, 2, 3 and 4. Supervisor spots are highly coveted by Arizona politicians, often serving as a stepping stone to higher political office. —Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 3 June 2024

All of this internal work is going to serve as a stepping stone into a much more active and busy cycle for you. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Apr. 2024

Complementing the garage are several glass art stepping stones, which Patti crafted herself. —Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 25 Apr. 2024

The bigger fish will be to use the Olympics as a stepping stone to improve inter-Korean relations. —John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2018

Amazon Music Prime is clearly a stepping stone to the more robust (and paid) Amazon Music Unlimited, which offers on-demand functionality, stations, and hi-res and audio, earning it an Editors' Choice award. —PCMAG, 31 May 2024

Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news Timor Island might not have been a stepping stone. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2024

To bend the island metaphor to the squirrel’s perspective, Graham is less a stepping stone than a rock sinking under the rising sea of climate change. —Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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