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Showing results for stepping-stone. Search instead for stepping stones.
Definitions

stepping-stone

NOUN
instrumentation
Synonyms
STRONGEST
apparatus instrument
STRONG
agency agent aid auspices avenue channel course dodge equipment expedient factor fashion gimmick instrumentality intermediary machinery manner measure mechanism medium ministry mode organ organization paraphernalia path power process road route step system tactic technique trick vehicle
WEAK
modus operandi ways and means
Antonyms
STRONG
blockage disorganization ignorance
NOUN
means
Synonyms
STRONGEST
aid channel equipment factor instrument measure mechanism medium mode power process route step system tactic technique vehicle
STRONG
agency agent apparatus auspices avenue course dodge expedient fashion gimmick instrumentality instrumentation intermediary machinery manner ministry organ organization paraphernalia path road trick
WEAK
modus operandi ways and means
Antonyms
STRONGEST
end
WEAK
paucity poorness shame

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.

Whale falls are "almost like islands," De Leo explains, calling them "a stepping-stone habitat for this and many other whale bone specialist species."

From Science Daily • Dec. 28, 2025

Some aspiring emigrants suggest that these days, even getting tourist visas — seen as a stepping-stone to emigration — has become a challenge for Turks.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

And while she says Alice's win is a benchmark, it must only be a "stepping-stone".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2022

“Space can support other foreign policy objectives, can be a stepping-stone toward further engagement.”

From Scientific American • Apr. 12, 2021

“No, it is a stepping-stone on the way to America,” Papa Andrew explained.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince