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

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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2023

Both teams had weapons, but both had stoppers, and you wondered whether this was going to be decided by inches or by somebody’s foot.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2023

Antonio cleared Liam Cooper's header off the line, before failing by inches at the other end to turn Manuel Lanzini's injury-time cross in at the far post.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2023

At first it edged by inches, but it drifted more swiftly as it reached the middle of the stream.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer