bit by bit

Idioms  

1. Also, little by little. Gradually, by small degrees, slowly. For example, The squirrels dug up the lawn bit by bit, till we had almost no grass, or Little by little he began to understand what John was getting at. The first term was first recorded in 1849, although bit in the sense of “small amount” is much older; the variant dates from the 1400s.

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Example Sentences

The reality, which I only began to absorb bit by bit after I ended it, is that my husband was not only a prolific storyteller but also a master manipulator.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

She has since sold off her gold bit by bit to get by.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

"A ladder appeared, three people appeared and started stripping the roof, so I thought well they know what they are doing, and bit by bit all the slates disappeared," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2025

Their envy does pour out immediately but strains forth bit by bit, pressing through the narrow gaps in their bleached smiles.

From Salon • Feb. 16, 2025

Slowly, slow, bit by bit, a foot, then another, she finds an edge; one hand, then the other, clings to rock, lowering her body.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes