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

Recent Examples on the Web Yet, one by one, Superstar seduced them with this radical idea: that the DEA might bring about the largest narcotics eradication in history without firing a single bullet. Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024 Everyone agreed the ad hoc dispensaries were openly breaking the law, but one by one, agencies looked at the crimes and either shrugged off responsibility or conceded they were simply not equipped to help. Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 Potential identities were crossed off one by one, and the group cheered every time the team’s name came closer to being revealed. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024 The balloons were then popped, one by one, to fully expose the 26-year-old artist. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 The rest of her guests arrived one by one: an authority on quantum computing; a former OpenAI researcher; the head of an institute that forecasts the future. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 But his condolences have huge ramifications when his family mysteriously falls ill one by one. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 And later on, our exchange offices and data centers got bombed one by one. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024 The Harkonnen leadership is killed one by one: Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgard) and his nephews Rabban (Dave Bautista) and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). Jordan Moreau, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'one by one.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near one by one

Cite this Entry

“One by one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one%20by%20one. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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