poco a poco
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of poco a poco
Borrowed into English from Italian around 1850–55
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.
White dijo que en los últimas dos semanas él, Musk y Zuckerberg, con la ayuda de asesores, han negociado entre bastidores y están avanzando poco a poco hacia el combate físico.
From New York Times • Jul. 4, 2023
Un hombre va a la ciudad a buscar trabajo y empieza a cantar en un restaurante hasta que poco a poco gana fama.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2019
Still, I have learned poco a poco, little by little.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
![]()
Thus e.g., crescendo poco a poco al forte ed un pochettino accelerando, is seen to mean merely—"increase gradually to forte and accelerate a very little bit."
From Music Notation and Terminology by Gehrkens, Karl Wilson
“Cosi rozzo diamante appena splende Dalla rupe natia quand’ esce fuora, E a poco a poco lucido se rende Sotto l’attenta che lo lavora.”
From Murad the Unlucky and Other Tales by Edgeworth, Maria
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.