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Synonyms

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a result, many older homeowners start outsourcing these chores one by one.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

"It's allowing them to synthesise vast amounts of information that previously they would have had to do manually one by one."

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

The technique involves attaching an original sketch to an adhesive backing, cutting it out, strategically sprinkling sand on the desired areas, then removing any misplaced grains one by one.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

The task is simple: rewrite sentences one by one until the essay passes various A.I. checkers like Originality.ai, GPTZero, or ZeroGPT.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

Each firm held its rope; one by one, they realized that no matter how strongly they pulled, the balloon would eventually lift them off their feet.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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.