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Synonyms
Examples of little by little in a Sentence
little by little, we pieced together the jigsaw puzzle
Recent Examples on the Web
Furthermore, players are returning little by little.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
But time does offer you the opportunity, little by little, to see the past in context.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2024
The house was built in 1772 by Jonas Cutts, the wealthy owner of thousands of acres between two New England rivers who sold them off little by little, to maintain the Cutts family’s bizarre illusion of living on an English country estate.
—Annie Proulx, The New Yorker, 30 June 2024
Alternate tweezing hairs from one side to the other side, little by little.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for little by little
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'little by little.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of little by little was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near little by little
Cite this Entry
“Little by little.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/little%20by%20little. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
Kids Definition
little by little
adverb
: by small steps or amounts : gradually
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