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Showing results for step-by-step. Search instead for Step-by-step guide.
Definitions

step-by-step

ADJECTIVE
gradual
Synonyms
STRONGEST
piecemeal
WEAK
bit-by-bit by degrees continuous creeping even gentle gradational graduate moderate progressive regular slow steady successive unhurried
ADVERB
gradually and steadily
Synonyms
STRONG
bit by bit drop by drop gradually inch by inch little by little one by one piecemeal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The film lives in its details — frost creeping along the walls, carbon dioxide levels rising, improvised fixes worked out step by step — as each small success only leads to the next crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Its name is quite a trek too - King Charles III England Coast Path - but for the first time it creates a continuous trail, allowing walkers to explore England's shoreline step by step.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Rather than completing division in a single cycle, the cell achieves it step by step through alternating physical states of the cytoplasm.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

"I need to rebuild my confidence step by step," Medvedev admitted, referring to his poor recent record in majors.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

I imagined the proud man going into exile step by step, a small trudging figure on the long road west to the Gulf.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin