a significant stride

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a significant stride" is correct and commonly used in written English.
It means a noteworthy or important step or progress towards a goal or achievement. Example: "The company's new marketing campaign was a significant stride towards increasing their sales and reaching a wider audience."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

A16 SCIENCE/HEALTH Genes Reveal Cell Functions Scientists have made a significant stride toward understanding how the living cell's operations are controlled by the information in its genome.

The New York Times

Scientists at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Mass., have made a significant stride toward understanding how a living cell's operations are controlled by the information in its genome.

The New York Times

Darlington manager David Hodgson was hit on the head by a missile thrown from the crowd as his team took a significant stride towards the Third Division play-off final.

The Guardian - Sport

Caroline Sullivan Bournemouth's William Doyle was nominated for the Mercury for his first album, Total Strife Forever, so there's no reason why he shouldn't get another nod for Culture of Volume, which is a significant stride forward.

The Guardian - Music

Japan took a significant stride toward the World Cup by beating Iraq, 1-0, while Australia's campaign had a setback when it stumbled to a 2-1 loss to Jordan.

The New York Times - Sports

"Ed is pretty good at No 6, just as he's a pretty good second-rower when we need him to be," said Richard Cockerill, the Midlanders' rugby director, after watching his side take a significant stride towards a Champions Cup quarter-final place with a second victory over the most passionately committed of the Irish provinces in the space of eight days.

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

Having edged perilously close to the brink of political chaos in recent weeks, due to repeated bungling of the transition process, Egypt has taken a very significant stride forward.

Huffington Post

But noting a recent upturn in results, he said through a spokesman, "Tribune has made significant strides in becoming a current, competitive and sustainable media company.

The New York Times

Congressional officials said Wednesday they knew of no significant strides toward a compromise over a long Christmas weekend, and no negotiations have been set.

Huffington Post

She's only 23, but the Toronto-based DJ's already made significant strides as a trans woman of colour in a music scene that often feels as large as the city that supports it.

Vice

Directed evolution, a process which mimics Darwinian selection on a laboratory scale, has allowed significant strides to be made in the field of synthetic biology by allowing rapid identification of desired properties from large libraries of variants.

Methods

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a significant stride" to highlight notable progress or advancement in a specific area, especially when you want to emphasize the importance of the step taken. For example: "Implementing the new software was "a significant stride" toward improving efficiency."

Common error

Avoid using "a significant stride" when describing setbacks or negative developments. The phrase inherently implies forward movement and positive progress. For instance, it would be incorrect to say, "The company's declining profits were "a significant stride" in the wrong direction."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a significant stride" functions as a noun phrase acting as a subjective complement or object, typically describing progress or advancement towards a goal. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and common usage in English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

6.666666666666667%

Social Media

6.666666666666667%

Reference

6.666666666666667%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a significant stride" is a grammatically correct and relatively common phrase used to denote a noteworthy advancement or progress. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is acceptable and suitable for various contexts, especially in news, scientific, and formal business settings. While semantically similar phrases like "a major step forward" or "a considerable advancement" exist, "a significant stride" effectively emphasizes the importance of the step taken. When using this phrase, ensure that it accurately reflects positive progress, avoiding its use in contexts of setbacks or regression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a major step forward

Replaces "stride" with "step" and uses "forward" to emphasize the direction of progress.

a considerable advancement

Substitutes "significant" with "considerable" and "stride" with "advancement", highlighting the degree of progress.

a noteworthy development

Emphasizes the importance of the progress by using "noteworthy" and replaces "stride" with "development".

a marked improvement

Focuses on the positive change resulting from the progress, using "marked" to indicate a clear difference.

a substantial gain

Highlights the benefit or advantage achieved through the progress.

a giant leap

Implies a more dramatic and impactful advancement than a simple stride.

a breakthrough achievement

Suggests that the progress represents a significant overcoming of obstacles.

a key milestone

Focuses on the progress as a marker of significant progress within a larger process.

a positive evolution

Highlights the progressive nature of the change, focusing on gradual betterment.

an important breakthrough

Highlights importance of the breakthrough made in a certain field.

FAQs

How can I use "a significant stride" in a sentence?

Use "a significant stride" to describe a notable advancement or progress toward a specific goal. For example, "The development of the vaccine represents "a significant stride" in the fight against the disease".

What is a good alternative to "a significant stride"?

You can use alternatives such as "a major step forward", "a considerable advancement", or "a noteworthy development" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "a significant stride forward"?

Yes, "a significant stride forward" is grammatically correct and commonly used. The addition of "forward" simply reinforces the idea of progress. However, it can sometimes be redundant as "a significant stride" already implies forward movement.

What's the difference between "a significant stride" and "significant strides"?

"A significant stride" refers to a singular, important step or advancement. "Significant strides", on the other hand, refers to multiple important steps or advancements. For instance, "The company took "significant strides" in improving customer service" indicates multiple improvements.