Synonyms

one by one

Idioms

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.

It describes a situation in which particles such as photons are so deeply linked that their properties cannot be fully understood one by one.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

I put it all into a spreadsheet, one by one, and then waited to see if there would be some kind of grand, larger message.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

The diplomats, Sherman explained, sat in a horseshoe formation and spoke one by one.

From Slate • May 1, 2026

I suppose I could disable all these notices, laboriously one by one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

He pulled Devil’s Shoestrings out of the basket one by one, then started to braid them in a circle.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023