one by one

Idioms  

1. Also, one at a time. Individually in succession, as in The ducklings jumped into the pond one by one, or One at a time they went into the office. Formerly also put as one and one and one after one, this idiom dates from about a.d. 1000.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

one by one

Walker and Auen understand that humanity is deeply entrenched in an empathy crisis, with every last way out being sealed off one by one.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

Inside the Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside, a line of masked people filed into the red-lighted chapel, one by one, to take part in the rite of confession.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Testing possible printing settings one by one is also impractical.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Vacant homes breed more vacant homes nearby, and going one by one, the city couldn’t keep up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Now the fluorescent ceiling lights began exploding one by one above us, the floor opened, and huge cracks appeared.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott