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

Seeing them die, one by one, as their cases drag on thanks to bureaucratic intransigence engenders an almost primal sense of outrage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

They could have done what was expected and tried each of those flaws one by one like good little models.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Rather than analyzing genes one by one, this technique identifies groups of genes whose behavior changes together, providing a broader picture of how immune cells respond to ultrasound treatment.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

With each step, the stairs illuminate one by one, a purple-blue light sputtering to life.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera