bit by bit

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.

Example Sentences

If plaintiffs across the country start winning on collateral estoppel grounds, federal policies could unravel bit by bit, jurisdiction by jurisdiction.

From Salon

"We had some difficult scenes to do, and inch by inch, slowly slowly, bit by bit we built up this very complex relationship, to say the least."

From BBC

While the garden is rooted in local culture, built bit by bit from the flotsam and jetsam of Los Angeles locations and plants native to the ecology, the programming is more global in approach.

From Los Angeles Times

Driving into Mandalay, the massive scale of the destruction from last Friday's earthquake revealed itself bit by bit.

From BBC

"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