Word.ws English Dictionary

one step forward, two steps back

one step forward, two steps back noun: a situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.

Noun

one step forward, two steps back

  1. (idiomatic) A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.
    • We got all the roofing removed, but the chimney was damaged and we discovered that some rafters had to be replaced. One step forward, two steps back. Or maybe three.

Origin of one step forward, two steps back

Derived from the idiom "two steps forward, one step back", which originates with an anecdote about a frog in a well.

Questions about one step forward, two steps back

What does one step forward, two steps back mean?
One step forward, two steps back means a situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.
What part of speech is one step forward, two steps back?
One step forward, two steps back is a noun.

Words near one step forward, two steps back in the dictionary

  1. one side
  2. one sixth
  3. one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind
  4. one step ahead
  5. one step at a time
  6. one step forward, two steps back
  7. one strike and you're out
  8. one swallow does not a spring make
  9. one swallow does not a summer make
  10. one swallow does not make a spring
  11. one swallow does not make a summer

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: one step forward, two steps back (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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