one by one

idiom

: separately in a series : one at a time : first one and then another one, etc.
I solved the problems one by one.
The performers took the stage one by one.

Examples of one by one in a Sentence

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Eventually, the animals were clustered into a sluice-like enclosure, and then the animals would be extracted one by one. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025 The soupe de poisson and rouille were duly prepared, and one by one, the fish and the eel were added, and finally, the shellfish. Georgeanne Brennan, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025 Tasters tried each sample one by one, sharing notes on appearance, aroma, texture, and flavor before moving to the next contender. Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025 Rival gangs and abusive guards already make survival a waking nightmare, but when an unseen force begins slaughtering inmates one by one, the prison spirals into chaos. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for one by one

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“One by one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one%20by%20one. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.

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