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.

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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

As recently as February, a boulder came crashing down the hillside, missing his home by inches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2025

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

Anthony Rizzo followed with a single off the top of the wall in right field that missed being a homer by inches.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

I’ve missed him by inches and he dances away.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett