by degrees
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That may have something to do with Canada’s peculiar history, which involved gaining independence from Britain only gradually and by degrees over the course of 300 years.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
These were all private-sphere relationships defined by degrees of dominance and subordination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Sir Geoffrey said: "Both government and the BBC should seriously think about how the World Service's influence can be bolstered around the world, rather than risk its reach withering by degrees year on year."
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
Even after the Nazis invade Poland, halfway through the opening episode, things advance by degrees, so that the next worst thing can’t quite be imagined, and once imagined really believed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
He recognized me by degrees and became my pre-Mexican-fiesta father.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
