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.

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

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 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

A lawyer by training, he seems to function primarily by breaking any challenge into small pieces to be noodled over at tedious length one by one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The evening was capped off with Bobby playing dozens of five-minute games with almost all assembled, one by one.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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