by inches

Idioms  

1. Also, inch by inch. Gradually, bit by bit, as in We found ourselves in rush hour traffic, moving by inches. Shakespeare used this term in Coriolanus (5:4): “They'll give him death by inches.” Despite the increasing use of metric measurements, it survives, often as an exaggeration of the actual circumstance. The phrase to inch along, first recorded in 1812, means “to move bit by bit,” as in There was a long line at the theater, just inching along.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

by inches

“It should have been me,” he says, for no reason other than that he escaped death by inches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Mullins led off with a bunt single when the ball rolled dead on the dirt about halfway to third base, fair by inches.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

It uses an efficient rolling road block of police motorbikes and cars to bookend the peloton and team vehicles, all of which whizz by, inches from spectators.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2023

Ross Chastain was able to hold off Bowman to win the stage by inches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2023

When he rose to walk, he bent forward even more, making a deep cavity of his body, and placed his feet down very carefully, moving ahead by inches from the knees down.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller