one word leads to another

phrase

Said of a conversation which suddenly develops in a way that was not planned or anticipated by any of the people involved, sometimes in a positive context, but especially of an escalating argument.

“One word led to another and all of a sudden they were threatening each other with divorce.”

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Meanings

phrase
  1. Said of a conversation which suddenly develops in a way that was not planned or anticipated by any of the people involved, sometimes in a positive context, but especially of an escalating argument.

    One word led to another and all of a sudden they were threatening each other with divorce.

Cite this entry
APA

one word leads to another. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20word%20leads%20to%20another

MLA

“one word leads to another.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20word%20leads%20to%20another. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one word leads to another,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one%20word%20leads%20to%20another.

Source: one word leads to another on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.