poco a poco

[ poh-koh ah poh-koh; Italian paw-kaw ah paw-kaw ]

/ ˈpoʊ koʊ ɑ ˈpoʊ koʊ; Italian ˈpɔ kɔ ɑ ˈpɔ kɔ /

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adverb Music.

gradually; little by little: poco a poco accelerando.

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Origin of poco a poco

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1850–55

Words nearby poco a poco

pockies, pockmark, pockmarked, pocky, poco, poco a poco, pococurante, Pocono Mountains, Poços de Caldas, pocosin, pocul.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use poco a poco in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
I knowed, a-course, that I could go kick up a fuss when Simpson stopped by his office on his trip back from Goldstone.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for poco a poco

poco a poco

adverb

(in combination) music little by littlepoco a poco rall

Word Origin for poco a poco

Italian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012