: 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