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Definition

Something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.

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Origins

First attested circa 1325; first used in the figurative sense circa 1653.

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In Context

  • "He was full of ambition, and force, and life, intending all sorts of great things, and meaning to make his position a stepping stone to all that was excellent in public life."
  • "Esperanto can make a good stepping stone language to Latin, which may be difficult for amateur linguists."
  • "I held it truth, with him who sings ⁠To one clear harp in divers tones, ⁠That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher things."
  • "It has already been shown that the Manchester South Junction & Altrincham (itself the joint property of the London & North Western and and the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railways) served as a stepping stone by which the M.S.L.R. and G.N.R. extended their services from Manchester to Liverpool, […]."
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Related Idioms

g

get blood out of a stone

To do something difficult, frustrating, or pointless.

 s

set in stone

To render something permanent, certain, or firm.

 k

knock out of the box

To cause something to be replaced by something else.

 p

pale in comparison

To appear small or unimportant in relation to something else.

 b

buy a dog and bark oneself

To do something that one has hired someone else to do.

 s

see which way the cat jumps

To delay taking action based on the outcome of something else.
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