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Synonyms

step by step

Idioms  

  1. By degrees, as in You'll have to go through this recipe step by step. This idiom transfers putting one foot in front of the other to other kinds of progress. [c. 1700]

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.

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

When placed at an injury site, the remaining cartilage structure can act like a blueprint that helps the body rebuild damaged bone step by step.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

Flick said the Copa del Rey holders had to go "step by step" with Raphinha's recovery.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

The lust for vengeance eventually gets the better of him, but Swenson leads us step by step to depravity through sorrow, injustice and humiliation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

It moves, feeling elastic as I move step by step.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.